Caught in the Act
by Rutoh-Chan
Summary: Cover Challenge. A series of Skip Beat shorts based on the volume and chapter covers, ranging in size, pairings, and tone for the enjoyment of the full gamut of readers.
1. Control Issues

_I suppose I should call this my own personal Cover Challenge. To stretch myself as a writer, I've given myself the challenge of writing a long series of shorts based on the volume and chapter covers for _Skip Beat_. I will be going consecutively through the volumes and my rules are as follows._

_1. Avoid using "Kyoko as a model" or "Kyoko is acting as…" as a fallback_

_2. Avoid using characters' dreams as setting_

_3. Must include a reference or a character trait from the canon (even in an AU), but OOC tendencies are acceptable_

_4. Should include the scene on the cover with as few changes as possible; scenes without a distinct setting must include all the elements on the cover at least_

_5. Themed chapters with matching covers may be combined or done separately_

_Because of 1 and 2, I expect to be doing lots of AUs and some character introspection. I don't really expect anyone else to take up this challenge, but I would appreciate it if my reviewers could keep me honest. I will be using the covers from the _Shojo Beat/Viz Media _English translations of the manga._

* * *

_**Vol 1 Front cover/Act 1 Expanded cover**_

Call it the beginning. Because that was what it was, really. The beginning of everything.

~...~_**  
**_

Mogami Kyoko played with the ends of her newly cut hair and refused to sigh. Her natural attitude was cheerful so it seemed indulgent to be wistful. Besides, she had cut her hair because she wanted to start over. There was no time to go around regretting the choice she had made.

With a shake of her head Kyoko stood abruptly, a determined look on her face.

"I will do this!" she half shouted to the empty room. "I've thrown away all that stupid past and I will defeat that arrogant, cocky, lying Shotaro!"

With that she started to get dressed, flipping through her sparse closet for something to wear that struck her as "star quality." Of course this was realistically a futile task, but since Kyoko was not really a vain or ambitious girl, she was pleased with a jean dress that buttoned from top to bottom. Deciding so much blue was not in good taste, she sifted a bit more before finding a bright pink camisole. Perfect. An accent of such a bright pink would be sharp and cheerful.

Kyoko giggled as she tried imagining someone wearing an entire outfit in such a bright color.

In terms of accessories, Kyoko knew she was lacking, but two of the skirts she had bought had come with belts, so she removed them and threw them around her waist. Stepping in to the hall she hunted down the floor length mirror and examined herself in it for a moment. The Okami-san, carrying a tall vase of yellow flowers, watched her with an indulgent shake of the head. Really, this tenant was something else.

~...~

Fuwa Sho was not the kind of guy to wake up with the sun. Heck, he was not the kind of guy to wake up at all if someone did not make him. His manager wanted to scream as she found him sprawled all over her couch. Aki Shoko was always torn between irritation and wonder when it came to her charge. He was a brilliant musician when he chose to be. When he did not, he was a spoiled brat, and lazy on top of that.

"Sho, we have an interview on that talk-show this morning! You promised you would be up on time!"

"Ungh," he grumbled as he rolled over to hide his face.

"Sho!"

"I'm not gonna be late," came the garbled response.

"Fine. I'm showering. Be up by the time I'm done." He was suddenly on his feet.

"I'll join you," he smirked. She resisted the urge to hit him and settled for a sigh.

"No, Sho. Go get breakfast. We're going to have to leave as soon as we can."

"I don't need breakfast," he grumbled, looking at the food that was sitting on the counter. Shoko tried to not take it personally. Sho had never liked her cooking, and after having seen a few of the lunchboxes his old friend had made for him, she could respect that. Sho ate out without any complaint, no matter the food, but Shoko knew his preference was for the food that Kyoko had made.

Shoko wondered if that girl knew how much control she still had over this boy.

"I've got leftovers from last night's dinner in the fridge if you don't want that. Eat, Sho. You don't want to pass out on stage."

"Alright, alright," he grumbled. Shoko disappeared into the bathroom making sure to lock the door. When she came back out, Sho was waiting in the hall. He slid past her into the bathroom without any comment and came out a mere ten minutes later, clean, dressed, and ready to go. Shoko almost wanted to slap him. His open button up, dark jacket, and gold chain necklace screamed haphazard, and he still looked good. More than that, his whole aura exuded a man who was out of control, but Shoko knew better. Entertainment might be tough stuff, but Sho had a disturbing amount of control over his life for a new star. He took his problems head on, was undaunted by the consequences, and forced people to accept him as he was. She wondered vaguely how he did it.

"You _do_know what time it is, don't you?" Shoko remarked as she checked her purse for her keys and Sho's schedule.

"Who am I to keep a pretty lady waiting," was his flippant response. Shoko refrained from commenting. Sho had slid into his facade of flirty professional. He would not be out of it for a while. The host for the show was pretty and enjoyed sharing Sho's flirtation. When he greeted her with a wink she giggled and led him to the stage, hanging on his arm.

Shoko knew it was going to be a long day.

~...~

Lory stared over his desk and tried to justify this meeting. He had not told Ren why he wanted to see him, but mostly that was because he did not have a good reason. He knew Ren hated being singled out, so he used dramatic buildup as his excuse for silence, hoping he would come up with something good before Ren figured out he was being assessed.

"Sir, is something wrong?" Ren finally asked, keenly aware of his busy schedule. Lory sighed. Looking at the man in front of him, the crisp look of his dark shirt and black jacket, the clean lines of his trousers, Lory knew Ren projected the image of a man completely in charge of his life. In reality, Ren had no control at all and was quickly falling into the pit Lory had foreseen he would be drawn to. His desire to ignore and alienate all things that made him upset meant he was headed for his doom.

"Ren, what are you doing in your free time?" the president asked, knowing the conversation was only going to go downhill from there. Ren stiffened.

"Sleeping mostly, sir," he answered extremely politely. "I eat too."

"Not enough, according to your manager," Lory grumbled. Ren smiled, but it was one of those, "I'm smiling because this is not your business," looks.

"Sir, if you're concerned about my health, I promise you I'm fine. You could have just called and left a message."

"This isn't about your food, Ren," Lory stated, gesturing with the cigar in his fingers. "It's about your life. And the lack thereof," he added censoriously.

"I thought it was a good thing that I had so much work. And I'm avoiding gossip columns." There was a brief staring contest, but Lory and Ren both knew that neither of them had time to really fight this out right now.

"You need a life Ren."

"I've made this one how I like it," was the chilly response. There was another staring contest.

"Oh, go away," Lory sighed suddenly, leaning back in his chair. Ren stood and bowed, then turned to go with a polite farewell. "You are the most boring man in the world, Tsuruga Ren," Lory shot at his back. Ren turned and gave Lory one of his more honest, if more condescending smiles.

"I know sir. I intend to keep it that way."

"Just you wait boy. Life's about balance. You don't make yourself interesting really fast, someone will pop into your life and do it for you. That's a promise."

Ren just shook his head and left the office.

~...~

Kyoko strolled down the street, smiling as brightly as she could. She was getting stares, but no one approached her. Mostly they blinked and shuddered. Still, the lack of invisibility made her glow with pleasure. She stopped in front of a store and caught sight of herself in the reflection. She preened at the image she presented in her new clothes and boots. She posed with her hand behind her head.

"Mogami Kyoko," she told the reflection with a huge smile, "you are going to be a star!"

* * *

_And there is chapter one. I know it is short, but I promise there will be longer ones. This is only the beginning, and its going to be a long ride. At least 176 chapters and growing. I hope that you all will enjoy it. This is going to be a project that has no set update time, but I plan on using it to fill gaps between long stories that I write._

_Thanks to Will for helping me polish this up.  
_


	2. Knowing

_In spite of the fairly unenthusiastic response to chapter one, here is chapter two. I should probably mention that I don't own _Skip Beat_ and never will. All characters and settings belong to their creator and various publishers respectively._

* * *

_**Vol 1 Inside Cover**_

~...~_**  
**_

Sho shivered as he walked along the path. He hated visiting his parents' summer home in general and had hated it in particular since he had discovered the place was haunted. For the past several years he had heard the soft, quiet weeping of a child late at night when everyone was supposed to be asleep. During the day, it was cheerful humming that followed him everywhere.

Or maybe it was all just in his head. It could just be guilt.

It was probably guilt.

He shook off the feeling of being followed and tried to focus on his destination. His parents guarded the door downstairs by placing their room between him and it. They were both light sleepers, especially his mother, and would tear him to pieces if they knew he was sneaking out. Thankfully, years of practice and a window made this little adventure possible.

He wondered why his parents bothered. It was a new age and people did not think about relationships and intimacy the same way. Besides, what was there to do out here other than find pretty girls to kiss and cuddle?

"_I'm so sorry…"_

The voice was so soft he thought he had imagined it, but he froze in his tracks. Like the weeping and the humming, it was hauntingly familiar. And made him freeze with guilt. He strained his ears to see if he could hear any other sounds, but nothing else reached him.

Okay, maybe he should _not _be going to hook up with a girl. It was probably cruel, and stupid. And he was probably being haunted.

Of course, this particular ghost was not likely to follow him and watch as he indulged in a little fling. Maybe going was the best thing he could do for himself. He kept moving through the trees and finally found the road. A little way down the street was the local girl he had hooked up with that afternoon. She gave him a smile and he sauntered with all the pride and experience of his nineteen years to her side, sliding an arm around her waist.

"Shall we?"

~...~

_He knew he was dreaming. The girl beside him would never have teased him like this in real life. Kyoko had been the only girl he had honored with the title "girlfriend," and she had been the only girl who had never been close enough to him to deserve it._

_Well, maybe that depended on the kind of close._

_In his dream she was wearing an outfit much more stylish than anything she had worn in real life. It was a v-neck sleeveless blouse with a tiny flower print. A circular pendant hung from her neck and her hair was the modern auburn tone it had been the last time he had seen her. He had wondered, after her death, if she had been trying to get his attention. It seemed like the most likely explanation for a girl as simple as her to change her look so much._

_Here, in this dream space, she leaned in towards him, her gold eyes glinting, her smile a little too knowing to belong on the face of the girl he had known. Her hand rested softly on his arm._

"_Hello Sho." It was not a purr, it was a caress. Suddenly, she was a nightmare. Nothing about her changed, but Sho had been sure, always so sure, that his Kyoko would be constant. That she would never be like those other girls. The ones he had cheated on her with._

_Oh, the irony._

"_Hey Kyoko."_

"_She's really pretty, isn't she?" Kyoko asked, looking behind him. Sho turned and saw the girl he had gone to meet standing in front of the counter of the store he had met her at. "Exactly your type."_

_Her tone conveyed it all. The condemnation and amusement as she took in the bust, waist, and legs that would have called to him. Somehow, he was sickened by them now._

"_She's just another girl," he retorted, fighting to keep the guilt off of his face. Kyoko's smile made him wonder if he had succeeded._

"_You need to wake up, Sho. You need to go home."_

_~...~  
_

Sho bolted awake in the darkness. In just a few minutes he was dressed and gone, running for the woods. He did not have to check his watch to know that he was pushing his luck. His parents were early risers and he could see the first touch of light peeping over the horizon.

"_Not that way,"_ a chilly voice corrected as he tried to remember which way to turn at his large, ivy covered rock place marker. Sho spun and froze, staring in horror at the specter in front of him. Kyoko was still smiling that knowing smile. She had a little treasure chest in her hands. Something about that box made Sho shiver. _"Silly, you shouldn't sneak out if you can't get back."_

"Look, Kyoko, I'm-"

"_Sorry? No Sho, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't good enough. I'm sorry I was so selfish. I'm sorry I couldn't live without you."_

"Well, umm. Look, it's no big deal." Her grin broadened.

_"Of course it isn't."_

"I didn't mean it like that," he mumbled, adjusting his clothing.

_"You don't mean most of the things you say."_ This was getting to close to the truth for his comfort.

"What are you doing here?"

"_I sold my soul," _she told him calmly. _"Straight to the devil."_ She paused and cocked her head. _"He isn't what you'd think. He likes cosplay."_

"He what?"

"_Loves cosplay. Costuming. He doesn't like making bargains very much either. He didn't want me to give you this."_ She held out the box. _"But it's the only way I can rest, Sho. The only way."_

Sho looked at the box and shivered as the lid crept open. A white glow seemed to surround Kyoko. Her smile was almost sweet, but there was an edge to it. An implacability that made him wince. Still, he owed this to her, right? He owed her the right to be at rest.

Something writhed in the box and he took a step back.

"No way," he told her, shaking his head. And then he ran.

He climbed in his window and stumbled as he saw his mother already there, tapping her foot against the floor. Behind her stood that ghostly Kyoko, smiling with that little box, a trail of black poking at his mother.

"And where," she demanded in a flat tone, "have you been?" Sho flinched as Kyoko smiled, and started a rather garbled explanation.

~…~

"Enough is enough," his father said coldly. "You've been causing nothing but trouble. You have no idea what responsibility is. You want to live your own life, fine. Leave this house."

"Look, I didn't mean to get fire. It wasn't my fault-"

"You said that last time," his father cut him off. "And a dozen times before that." He paused. The ghost behind him leaned over his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. "You said that when Kyoko died."

Sho stiffened as the girl smiled. "I'm leaving."

There was a brief flurry of packing and some stiff instructions as to how he could find a place of his own to live in. Before he walked out the door his father handed him an envelope, which Sho noted Kyoko was frowning at.

"It will be enough for your first month's rent, if you're smart. Get a job." Looked like ghosts could not ruin everything.

"Yes, sir."

~…~

"She's a pretty little thing," Reino said, stroking some air beside him. Sho tried to ignore it, but he did look back as Reino's head snapped to the side, a bright red mark forming on his cheek. His grin turned hungry. "She's feisty."

Sho responded with a phrase that his mother would have whipped him for using.

Silence descended again as Sho tried to play his guitar without being distracted. Being a street performer had the disadvantage of not being able to throw out members of the audience that were distasteful. And Reino was just plain creepy.

"She wants to give you something," the taller, prettier male stated. Sho kept his eyes on his strings, pretending not to notice the shimmering image hovering in the corner of his eye.

"Should I take it?" he asked, cursing internally as he did. He had not meant to encourage the idiot. Reino laughed.

"No. No you shouldn't. 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,' and this woman came back from hell to give you her scorn."

"What is it?"

"A grudge. Well, more like a legion of grudges." Sho shuddered.

"Whatever. You're making that up."

"She'll get you someday."

"Whatever."

~…~

The music helped. When his songs were honest, she seemed to calm down, and his voice was so haunting that people would gather for hours to listen to him. But in between, it was a nightmare. His landlord hated him. The women in his life were there one minute and gone without explanation the next. And she was always there, nearby. Offering that one escape.

~…~

_He was dreaming. A glowing girl with a box, holding it out to him, ivy curling around her, her smile just a little too knowing. His hand reached out to take the box, to make her leave… If she'd just leave, maybe he could sleep. He'd take the box and sleep. Sleep, sleep, sleep. He lifted the lid open and stuck his hand in._

Everything went black.

* * *

_And there is chapter two. I hope it gives a better sense of the sort of thing I mean to do with this challenge. I promise that other _Skip Beat _characters will make an appearance. Including Ren. There will be plenty of Ren and Kyoko. My internet access is a bit sketchy right now, so no promises as to when the next chapter will show up. Thanks to everyone that reviewed. And thanks to Will, who is having just as much internet trouble as I am, and is still whining less._

_Question: Does anyone want me to start including links to the covers so that they know exactly what I am looking at?_


	3. Curses

_Chapter three. Requests won. Here's your link to the picture. Remove the spaces as logically appropriate. And please note that the links I will be giving you will not be identical to the pictures I have because of the differences between printed volumes and online scans. But they should be mostly the same and give you a good idea of the scene I am using.  
_

http:/eatmanga . com/Manga-Scan/Skip-Beat/Skip-Beat-002

* * *

_**Vol 1 Act 2 **_

~...~_**  
**_

Ren looked up at the sky and sighed. His manager, a diligent man who obsessed over his charge's moods, jumped. Ren never sighed. Something must be wrong.

"Ren, are you alright?" The tall, dangerously handsome actor smiled politely and shook his head.

"Of course, Yashiro. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You seem…" Yashiro struggled for the word. Depressed was much too strong, but Ren never projected the full intensity of his feelings. "… despondent." Ren's smile brightened suspiciously.

"Relax, Yashiro. There's nothing wrong."

"Was it that girl?" Ren paused mid-stride and frowned- actually frowned! Ren did frown on occasion, but it was not a frequent occurrence. Yashiro's breath caught in his throat.

"She was… a hindrance. But we won't be seeing her again."

"Okaaay," Yashiro said with a sidelong glance at his star. Ren looked down and smiled again.

"She was just being funny."

Yashiro snorted. Ren had not looked amused.

~...~

"You're charging how much?" Sho growled at the girl in front of him. She shrugged.

"He's in the limelight, and I work best in the shadows. I've got people after me, you know, for my gift. And he's got security at work."

"Then get him after work," Sho growled.

"He's even safer then," she sighed. "Look, cursing is imprecise. It works with the things around it. An accident on set, no one looks twice at me, or you. Car accidents are harder since the curse has to manipulate people, rather than objects. And other people might get hurt."

"And they won't get hurt on set?" Sho pointed out coldly. Her eyes narrowed.

"Look, I take my risks where and how I want. You pay the fee if you choose to. Are we clear?"

Sho looked the girl over once more and nodded. He was handed a piece of paper with information for their next meeting on it and he exited quickly, making sure no one noticed him. It was hard to have meetings like this, what with being nationally famous and all that. But he had pulled it off. Maybe that was part of her powers, protecting her potential clients. He might give her a bonus if that were the case.

Or maybe not. She was not really his type.

~...~

"Tsuruga Ren." Ren turned and frowned as he noticed the girl he had met several days earlier sitting on a planter box outside his apartment complex. Her sneakered feet swung back and forth, her jeans hanging loosely on her legs. They were not stylish in any way, but nothing about this girl really was. Her hairstyle was a modern short cut, bleached into a fake looking auburn color, and her eyes were a flat gold in the light of the streetlamp. Her oversized hoodie had the word "forget" emblazoned in capital letters across the chest. Or what should have been the chest. He could not really tell where exactly it was sitting on her, and he lacked any enthusiasm to find out.

"What?" he demanded in a short tone. He had tried being polite last time, but the girl had pushed all his right buttons and he was done being nice. A part of his head thought she should feel honored. He did not cut loose for just anyone.

"I wanted to know if you had considered my offer," she answered cheerfully, her feet still swinging. She had an engaging smile. A pity that he hated her.

"Your offer," he hissed back, "required me not only to pay you an extortionate amount of money to prevent you from doing something that I don't believe in, but also required me to inflict said imaginary horrors on my supposed attacker."

"Pretty much," she smiled even bigger. The smile was really what got to him. He was the actor. He should have been the one smiling.

"No." The grin disappeared and he thought he saw genuine disappointment in her eyes.

"Not even if it would really help me?" she asked in a tiny voice, glancing up at him from under her eyelashes and making him want to wring her neck. Feminine wiles were some of his least favorite tricks, and she looked so freaking _natural_ doing it.

"Look, whatever guy you got yourself involved with isn't my problem," he snapped. "If you used those tricks on him you got whatever you deserved."

Why did he have to sound like his old self now of all times? Threats, dirty suggestions, aggression? Why?

She seemed to regard him thoughtfully for a moment, a look of concern on her face. She studied him then, really studied him. Looked him up and down, like she was memorizing him. She stared at his face for a while, never meeting his eyes but studying. She slid off the planter box and strode up to him, measuring where she reached on his chest with one slim hand. She did not touch him, but he felt himself recoiling as her hand approached him just under his collarbone. For some absurd reason she giggled at that.

"You know, you're really attractive," she noted absently. Ren did not feel like she had just given him a compliment. "That's probably why he hates you so much."

Ren blinked.

"You're saying some guy sent you to, supposedly, curse me because he was jealous of my good looks and probably wants his girlfriend back?"

"No," she answered coolly, and he felt a pressure building around them. "He's single. Well, he doesn't have a girlfriend. Not a steady one in any event."

"Sounds like you don't like him very much," Ren prompted, wondering if he could turn this to his favor. She looked up and smiled a smile he could not imagine such an innocent face producing.

"I loathe him," she said practically. "Or at least, I hate his type. Visual keis have been the bane of my existence, and he's a pretty lousy guy on top of that. Still, he'll pay."

"And I won't," Ren said firmly. She sighed.

"Okay. You won't." Then she smiled again, confidently. In a very quick movement she had stepped back and was pointing one thin finger at him.

"You're my target," she told him. "From here on out, I'm going to hate you with all my power, and you're going to fall." Ren wanted to roll his eyes at the cheesiness, but in the darkness he almost thought he saw a small figure floating over her shoulder, grinning wickedly and pointing at him as it wriggled with evil pleasure.

It was… creepy.

"Right," he responded, ignoring the twitching feeling in his gut and pretending to be completely unfazed. "Good luck with that. I suppose some people in this world have to hate me." She seemed almost depressed by his reaction, so he took courage and brushed passed her into his building, not even looking back once. The girl's eyes followed him until he was out of sight, her hand now stroking the small creature on her shoulder.

"I know," she whispered to it. "He's scary. But if we finish this job and everything goes well we'll have enough money to leave the country. We'll have escaped." The tiny grudge shuddered in horror and glanced around. Kyoko would have copied it, but she knew too well the price of showing fear where someone could see her. So she pushed down her doubts and her horrors and strode off down the street, ducking her head and pulling up her hood. Her stride lengthened and she slouched, an uncomfortable position for one who had trained to have perfect posture, but necessary. No one bothered her on her way back. She looked like some wannabe delinquent boy, and that suited her perfectly.

~...~

He was untouchable. At least, that was how he felt.

Ren had run away from his old life and wrapped himself up in various securities, some figurative and others literal. His personality was a figurative protection. No one who had know him as a delinquent teenager would see that bloodstained, harried idiot in the professional that he was now. He was famous, and that brought security to go with danger. People worried about his safety and his image and went out of their way to protect him. And he lived in a really nice, expensive apartment sitting above the ground level and with high tech security features.

Like his key card and password lock. And the lock on the front door of the building complex. And the cameras in every hallway.

So why some tiny little scrap of humanity had come in and told him that she was going to _curse_ him into ruin was completely beyond his comprehension. If she wanted to ruin him, she could at least have the decency to try and do it through acting or something.

What on earth motivated a girl like her?

~...~

"_Found you."_

Kyoko shot bolt upright, breathing heavily as she struggled to escape from the covers. A quick glance around her room told her no one had broken in to her small apartment, but she ran to check the door and window anyway.

He had a scary knack for showing up where she least wanted to see him.

Since her sentries were still at their posts, she knew he had not come. Reino's uncanny ability to see her grudges made them flee to her whenever he was around. She was a cautious person now, though she had been trusting enough at one point. Reino had changed that. He had changed many things.

With her room as safe and secure as she could delude herself into believing it was, Kyoko started getting ready for the day. After cooking a substantial lunch, she slipped back into her hoodie from the night before and stumbled out the front door.

Today, she was hunting.

~...~

Yashiro's stomach growled. It was a quiet sound. He doubted anyone had heard it. Yashiro might not have been very successful with cellphones and computers, but working with Ren had given him an unusual amount of control over his body. It would be bad for Ren's image if Yashiro let on that he was hungry or tired. Overall, he was pleased with his efforts.

"Wow, you must be starving." Yashiro nearly jumped, but settled for whipping around. Behind him was a young ma- woman?

"I don't think I know you," he said slowly, ignoring the statement. She, yes this was a girl, smiled and held out her hand for him to shake. He was surprised at how masculine she made the gesture look. And by how she seemed familiar.

"My name is Kyoko. I'm here representing a client."

"Oh." Yashiro shook her hand and felt a chill go through him. He eyed her nervously, but she only smiled reassuringly in return.

"Don't worry. I'm just examining you. Since you're so close to Tsuruga-san, it would be bad if anything happened to you on accident. It will be easier to make sure you aren't involved now."

He blinked.

"Um, Kyoko...chan?" She smiled and accepted this title. "Who are you representing?"

"I can't tell you that," she said calmly. "I'm only here this morning because it's on my way to my next appointment. But I can tell you what I'm doing. Tsuruga-san already knows, but he doesn't believe me, so he rejected my counter-offer."

"Oh. You're that girl from about a week ago. And what are you doing?"

"Cursing him. I'm hoping that it won't come to injuries because that will mean an investigation, but I've been asked to remove him as the number-one actor in Japan. I'm afraid this project of his isn't going to go very well. And you should probably start looking for another job."

Yashiro stared at her, a blank look on his face. He could see why Ren had not liked her. Ren was serious about his work, and he did not enjoy being threatened. The fact that this was a tiny and plain sort of girl probably had bothered him as well. Wounded his manly pride and all that. Still, she was going to curse him?

"I don't think I really believe you either, Kyoko-chan," he said apologetically, hoping he did not offend her. For all that he could not take her seriously, she made him feel awkward and brutish. She shrugged.

"That's fine. A little warning will still help you long term, I think. And you might be able to convince him to step down, if things start to get dangerous." She looked over at the actor on set, regarding him seriously as he spoke to the director. "He seems like a stubborn kind of guy, and I'd prefer that no one got hurt."

"I'll keep that in mind," Yashiro promised as he mentally started making a list of people to call. Ren had a fundamental aversion to bodyguards, so Yashiro's job required him to be super aware of danger. He would need to contact the president right away, and make a few very polite requests to people they would be working with. Yashiro did not believe in curses, but he believed in ingenuity. Accidents on set were dangerous for everyone.

His stomach growled again, and he winced. The girl was definitely close enough to hear it. She gave him an apologetic smile, then rifled through the backpack on her shoulder.

"Here," she said, holding out a couple of carefully wrapped homemade onigiri. "This should hold you over until lunch."

Yashiro smiled and thanked her sincerely has he accepted the food. It was more likely this would be his lunch, and he felt he could trust this girl to not poison him or anything. She really did not seem like the kind of person who could "curse" anyone, or would get involved with hurting others. It was strange. She demurred his thanks, glanced up, and in a moment was gone.

"Yashiro, what are you doing?" Ren asked in an eerily even tone as he approached. The manager turned around, displaying the food.

"Fraternizing with the enemy, I think," he admitted as he studied the snacks. "You want one?"

"No thank you," Ren said, turning to head back towards the set. "I'm not hungry. Did she tell you why she was here?"

"To curse you," Yashiro answered, his voice explaining clearly what he thought of that. "She said she gave you a counter-offer?"

"Pay her a bunch of money and have her curse her first employer instead." Yashiro winced.

"Well, I got a free lunch," he said simply, unwrapping one of the onigiri and taking a bite. He figured it had been made with some sort of leftovers, but it was good. Not to die for tasty, because ultimately it was leftovers and lunch food. But better than what Ren normally got them. "You sure you don't want one?" he asked, after he had swallowed. Ren was smiling. "What?"

"Sorry. The look on your face. Is it that good? I'll try it when we finish the next scene."

"Better hurry. I might not save it for you." Ren shrugged, not really caring one way or the other.

~...~

"What do you mean _weeks_?" Sho demanded of the girl who sat in front of him calmly sipping her soda. Her taste appalled him and he was ashamed to be in public with her. And now, she had the audacity to tell him he had to wait.

"The reason I come highly recommended," Kyoko said slowly, "is because I'm untraceable. I don't have a foot in any business and I'm not known to anyone. And my methods have the same anonymity. Sometimes investigations happen, but they never reach me, or my employer. You stay far away from him and let me work, and things will happen naturally. So naturally in fact, that you won't want to pay me my fee. At that point, I will have to hunt you down and point out to you that I have more than one trick up my sleeve."

Her smile was devious and Sho gulped. She hoped he was intimidated enough to take her seriously. She hated hunting down her money more than anything. It was the quickest way to get caught. Explosions of dark energy were how Reino had found her in the first place.

"What do you mean 'naturally?'" Kyoko sighed.

"Actors fall in and out of popularity for a thousand reasons. Good actors can smooth talk crowds and avoid unsavory situations. I take that away. He's in an interview and his tongue slips and he says what he's really thinking. He's in a deserted hallway with an actress and people walk by just in time to hear something suspicious or see something questionable. He forgets his lines or loses his character. His reputation breaks down and the media blames it on stress, or him reaching his limits, or maybe a woman in his life."

"So he hits more tabloids and gets more famous," Sho growled. Kyoko shook her head.

"That's another place where the curse comes in. His aura becomes tainted and people lose faith in him, lose interest. They instinctively pull away from the darkness that's eating him. That's why I said weeks. I would actually recommend a few months, if you'll let me. I won't charge you extra for the time. I know it isn't very fast, but the slower this happens, the less likely that things will reverse themselves once I leave. Once I take the aura back, he can start climbing again. The more natural and corrosive the fall, the better for you."

Sho considered this with a gleeful hatred on his face. Kyoko fought back unpleasant feelings. She had hoped Ren would take her offer. It was much easier to hate Sho, and she was going to have to hate Ren for this to really work. Fortunately, she already despised how he treated his manager. Anyone with a heart would not leave a man hungry.

"I'll give you three months," Sho said at last, his voice businesslike. "That will be pretty good timing for me, and should make things easier for you." Kyoko nodded. "Alright, when do we meet next?"

"After the job is finished. The only way you can track my work is by watching him. That way, you don't get caught. I already told you how much I want up front. It's not even close to the final fee, and it shouldn't hurt your pockets at all. You have to trust me from here on out."

"Alright. Here you go."

An envelope slid across the table and in a minute Sho was gone. Kyoko waited for a little while, finishing her drink and slipping into her jean jacket. She wanted to get home and back into boys' clothing before she went to hunt down the jealous ex-girlfriend that had not paid Kyoko for a job she had done the week before. Dressing like a girl made her feel uncomfortable now.

Another thing Reino had taken from her. Once upon a time, she had wanted to be a beautiful princess.

~...~

She had gotten his manager. Yashiro was completely gone. Ren was not sure how she had done it. She barely showed up around them, no one else seemed to notice her, and she never spoke to him. But somehow, his manager had fallen to her wiles.

"I'm worried about Kyoko-chan, Ren," he said one day as he sat munching something out of a small lunchbox. Ren grunted noncommittally. "No, hear me out. I know you don't like her very much, but she strikes me as a good kid. So, why is she going around threatening to curse people?"

"For money?" Ren said coldly, then bit down on his tongue. His image had been slipping a bunch the past few weeks. He tried to hold everything together, but sometimes something would slip and he had to make some hasty and overt covers. He had even been suckered into a date because of one of them, and that dinner had been harder than everything else.

Yashiro looked over at him, frowning. "You know, Ren, I don't really believe in curses, but I don't think that girl is good for you."

"I noticed," he responded dryly. Yashiro hesitated.

"Do you… have something you use to control your temper? Not at home," he added as Ren smiled ironically. "I know how much alcohol you keep, and I've got a pretty good idea of how quickly you go through it. But when you're outside."

Ren thought for a moment and his mind drifted to a small blue stone he had hidden away with all his personal belongings when he had come here.

"Yeah. I think so."

"Good. Because I really don't want to lose my job." Ren smiled.

"Neither do I."

"Maybe we should talk to Kyoko-chan," Yashiro said thoughtfully. Ren merely grunted again and turned back to his script.

~...~

Kyoko wanted to scream. She was getting too involved. She had meant to stay firmly in the shadows,unseen after her first offer, but Yashiro's plight had called to her and she could not let any human being starve. She had avoided Ren, which was why things had been progressing so smoothly up till now. It was easier to hate someone you knew nothing about. Now he had apparently gotten some sort of talisman and she needed to find it and remove it. This was getting complicated.

"Hello," she smiled, walking up to him outside of TBM studios. Yashiro seemed startled, but Kyoko knew she needed to approach Ren openly this time. She had to provoke the talisman, which meant putting him as quickly as possible into an unhappy situation. His hand immediately slipped into his pocket and Kyoko made sure part of her focus was there. "How are you doing today, Tsuruga-san, Yashiro-san?"

"I'm sorry, miss," Ren said calmly, "but the studio is only for work. Security has strict rules about how to deal with exuberant fans."

Not a very diplomatic answer, but she did not mind. That her existence was so provoking helped her mission. Her grudges began moving, circling. One or two dashed off to collect an audience.

"I'm not your fan, Tsuruga-san," Kyoko said calmly. "I think I already explained quite clearly that I have to hate you."

"I don't think you ever said that you _have_ to," Ren countered with a gentle, coaxing smile. Kyoko blinked and Yashiro repressed a sigh. And here he had thought the girl could resist Ren's charms.

Kyoko had not been fazed by Ren's smile, though an analytical part of her mind memorized it for the doll she was making. Well, dolls. Having a medium to work with helped enforce her curse when she was not present. No, what had stunned her was the sudden whirl that had grabbed her grudges out of thin air, even the ones that had run off, and forced them into Ren's pocket. Talismans did not trap grudges, they destroyed them.

She knew only one person that could trap her grudges.

Both men blinked in surprise as Kyoko's eyes widened a little and she stepped back. Ren had not been trying to be frightening and Yashiro was not sure why Kyoko was reacting this way.

"Kyoko-chan, what wro-"

"Do you know Reino?" she cut Yashiro off, her sharp question directed at Ren. He frowned.

"Who?" She visibly relaxed, but her eyes darted to his pocket and she shivered suddenly. She was in way over her head.

"Never mind," she whispered, turning around and striding off. In her agitation she forgot that she was dressed in boys' clothing. Ren could not decide what was the strangest thing, that her walk was so fundamentally different, and female, or that she seemed to be fleeing.

"Ren, what was that?" Yashiro asked nervously. Ren shook his head.

"I have no idea."

"Why was she looking at your hand?" He pulled his hand out of his pocket and showed Yashiro a small blue piece of rock that shifted colors slightly.

"This is kind of like a worry stone," Ren explained. "I've been doing better since I started carrying it again." There was an elongated silence.

"Ren, I hate to say this, but something about Kyoko seems supernatural."

"I don't believe in curses," Ren said firmly.

"Did you tell her you were carrying the stone?" Another silence.

"Yashiro, I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure."

"Find out who this 'Reino' is. I think you were right about there being something wrong with Kyoko."

~...~

"I thought you weren't going to contact me again until the job was done," Sho grumbled as he took a seat beside her on the bench. They were at a park this time. Kyoko was starting to feel caged every time she was indoors. She had been in one place too long, and she knew what it was like to be pinned in a corner. That had been a close call.

"Things have changed. I'm cutting your fee in half."

"You're what?"

"Cutting your fee. I'm going to have to change my method of approach, which will put me in direct contact with the target more often."

"Not to criticize your business model, but don't people usually charge more when they have to put themselves on the line?"

"Trust me on this one. You'll be in some danger too." Sho frowned.

"How much?"

"Danger might be the wrong word. I'm going to need your anger and hatred to fuel a curse that I'm going to lay down more directly. He has something absorbing the curses around him, and I want to break it by overloading it. Since I'll be drawing on your strength, you're going to get tired. I'll try and plan around major things for you, like concerts, but I need your schedule, and that will be physical evidence. What they could prove I doubt would mean much, but that is how it is."

"Fine. I'll have the schedule ready by tomorrow. Do you need anything else?"

"Just for you to brood about how much you hate him in your free time." She did not mention that her grudges were already busy collecting pieces of his aura and nibbling on them.

"Okay. Here again, same time?"

"No." She handed him a piece of paper. This time she left first. She was going to be late to her next appointment.

~...~

"You know, you're an amazing cook," Ren commented as he stared at Kyoko across the table in his dressing room. She had told him she wanted to try a face off, see if they could end things in one go. Ren had agreed. He wanted to end this farce. Yashiro had found nothing about the mysterious Reino, but Ren had interacted with Kyoko a little more since her startling flight, and he too felt that something was wrong. Her switch between masculine and feminine behaviors was interesting as well. He had tried flirting with her, just to see what would happen, and she had immediately shrunk into her boyish shell. The girl he had caught a glimpse of suddenly seemed very fragile and scared. Scared of some man named Reino.

Call him a sucker, but Ren had his dad's weakness for damsels in distress.

"I just try to do the things that I can well," she answered calmly, watching his every bite. She had made him a lunch as well a few times and seemed to be adopting a motherly attitude towards him. Yashiro had revealed not only how little he ate, but how much he drank. The look of condemnation on her face as she scolded him for not taking care of his body, his tool of his trade, had hit him where all his parents cajoling and Yashiro's pleading had not. "Eat the meat. You need protein."

"Is the new strategy to fatten me up?" he asked cheerfully. "My fans would be very disappointed, I'm sure, but I do exercise you know." Her face fell suddenly and she looked away. She seemed to be concentrating very hard on something. When she turned back, her polite smile had returned.

"No. Getting you fat is not my intention. But if you seriously exercise on only the food I've seen you eat, it's a miracle you haven't killed yourself yet."

"Good genes," he supplied mildly. He wondered when Yashiro would be back. The man had gone to get drinks, but he was taking a while.

"That doesn't change how you should be taking care of yourself," she scolded. Ren just smiled in return. "What do you have in your pocket?" she demanded suddenly. He blinked, his next bite of food hovering inelegantly in front of his open mouth.

"Why?"

"Professional curiosity," Kyoko answered. It was funny how he trusted her answer. He still was not sure that he believed in curses, but he found that he did believe that she believed in them. He figured he could humor her. He pulled out the stone and set it on the table between them.

"My secret weapon," he said in accents of mock solemnity. Kyoko laughed, but it was a breathy little thing, and he thought she was frightened again. She reached out as if to touch it, then flinched away again.

"A gift?"

"From my father." He stopped, surprised that he had told her even that much. He really did trust her, in spite of all of this. That was a scary thought.

Kyoko swallowed.

"Does your father… love you?" Ren laughed.

"So much that I ran away to escape it," he answered with more of that frightening honesty. "I think the only person he loves more than me is my mother. But he loves us both a lot."

"Oh."

This was going to be hard. Kyoko was not fully aware of the rules of devices that trapped negative energy, but she had done some research in the past week or so and knew that they tended to rely on the amount of positive energy that had gone into them. Professionals who made them were rumored to be either massive philanthropists, or people who charged tons and loved money. But their depth was only so far. And while it should collect Ren's own negative energy, her grudges almost had a life of their own. Nothing static should be able to hold them. From the look of things, a gift from a father with a huge heart would have the carrying capacity to potentially kill her. Even with Sho's feelings, this was going to be hard.

"Kyoko-san?" She came back to reality with a jerk. The genuine concern on the face in front of her startled her. She had seen enough of Ren's acting to understand him fairly well, and his sudden interest in her well being complicated things. "What's wrong?"

His hand reached out to her impulsively, but retracted when she flinched. There was a sudden cold look in his eyes and though she was fairly certain it was not directed at her, it still made her shiver.

"Sorry," she said hastily. "I was just thinking about my own parents. I… never really knew them."

He looked at her skeptically, but nodded an acceptance of this speech.

"I'm sorry. Has it been hard?" She shrugged.

"I survived." Barely. "Are you going to pity me?" she asked archly. He smiled. A warm smile that burned her eyes. And a few of her grudges.

"No. I think I'm going to have to admire you."

Ooops.

"Even if I am here to curse you and ruin your career?" He chuckled.

"Well, since you're being so forward and honest about it, I find it difficult to hate you. Besides, now I know who to hunt down if things go badly for me." This smile was dangerous. Not the same heart flip-flopping dangerous of his last smile. More like huge beast about to devour small prey dangerous.

So why was it just as attractive?

"I'll keep that in mind," she answered in a small voice, poking at her own food. Suddenly, she was not very hungry. It was a very good thing that she was leaving the country as soon as Sho paid her.

"Kyoko-san." His tone had softened again and his hand covered one of hers. "I won't hurt you. Not even if you do ruin my life. I promise." His coaxing tone was hard to resist and she smiled a little.

"Sorry I'm late," Yashiro interrupted almost falling through the door. "All of the vending machines on this floor are out of order." Kyoko winced. That was probably her fault. Coming here to do battle, a few random grudges had probably escaped.

"It's fine," Ren answered. "We were just talking." Yashiro looked down at the hands and a very creepy smile flitted across his face for a moment. Ren's hand released hers.

Lunch was quiet and Ren did not bring up Kyoko's purpose for having come. Which was good, because she was trying to concentrate on sending grudges at him. The small stone on the table gathered them all, but she kept pressing. She added Sho's hatred to her own fear. When she could not hate enough, fear was an acceptable substitute, and she was terrified of what would happen to her if she did not collect her money and leave soon. By the end of the meal she was feeling lightheaded, but slightly triumphant. The stone seemed to have slowed down, as if it were getting full. If she took a break for a few days and came back-

"Why don't we give you a ride home?" Kyoko jumped as Ren's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"What? Oh no. That's fine. I can walk. I'm sure you're busy."

"Not really. We'd be happy to help." This smile was not as warm as his other had been, but it was honest. Kyoko felt herself sinking into the floor.

"You shouldn't help me," she said quietly. "I'm really your enemy." There was an uncomfortable silence and Kyoko stood to leave, gathering the dishes she had brought. In a moment she had everything put away and was ready to make her escape.

Which was when her treacherous legs decided to give out under her.

"Kyoko-chan!"

"Kyoko-san, relax," Ren commanded as she stiffened reflexively in his arms. How he had caught her she had no idea, but his closeness was terrifying. "I already told you, I won't hurt you. Relax."

"I'm fine," she managed to get out. "I'm really fine."

Ren ignored this and briefly examined her face. He must not have liked what he saw because he scooped her up into his arms. "We're driving you home."

She fought and argued all the way downstairs. A few people saw them, but the advantage of being in the studio was the respect other workers had towards stars and their secrets. There were odd looks and a few whispers, but most of it would not leave the building, and what did leave the building would hardly be credited. An underground parking garage also helped.

"I don't need your help!" Kyoko growled as she pushed against his chest. "I can walk on my own."

She was dumped unceremoniously into the back seat. A quick glance at Ren's face and she wondered for a moment if he was angry. Was that possible?

"Where do you live?" he asked as Yashiro slipped in and Kyoko buckled her seat belt. She gave him some basic directions and he took her to her apartment. The complex was old and rickety. Ren frowned as he looked at it.

"It's only temporary," Kyoko explained as she unbuckled. "I have plans for where I want to go after this, and I wanted to save money while I was living here. The roof doesn't leak," she added as if this was a piece of particularly good fortune. Ren said nothing as she made her escape.

~...~

"You know what Ren?"

"What?"

"I think it's a good thing that you met Kyoko." Ren stared at his manager in confusion.

"I thought we agreed that she was a baggage, and regardless of supernatural powers was a danger to my health and my career."

"Well, you were having a hard time at work, but if you don't believe it was her fault you kept slipping up, that is irrelevant," Yashiro pointed out. "And she certainly isn't a danger to your health."

Ren looked down at the food he was eating, which had been delivered by Kyoko to Yashiro earlier that day.

"I suppose not," he agreed reluctantly. "Have you found anything out about Reino?"

"No, not yet. I'm worried about her, Ren. She looks… haunted."

Thinking about Kyoko's paling features and wan smiles, Ren had to agree. "Well, we can keep an eye on her as long as she keeps coming around."

~…~

Ren was sitting in a hall waiting for Kyoko. She had promised to bring him lunch today and he wanted to talk to her. She had seemed exhausted over the last week. He hoped she was alright. She was not, but if she had tried to tell him that she had poured so much of herself into his gem that it was slowly calling to the rest of her and draining her life away he probably would have been upset. Especially since her lack of energy prevented her from working, which prevented her from earning very much money to buy food, most of which was still being used to feed Yashiro and Ren. Yes, it was a good thing that Ren did not know about the talisman.

The stone in question was being tossed up into the air repeatedly as Kyoko did not arrive. A sudden greeting made Ren drop it.

"Hello." The speaker was a man around Ren's age with silver hair of all things and purple eyes. He was dressed in a fashion that was as absurd as it was interesting and the guy actually had sharpened his fingernails into something like claws.

Definite freak.

"Hello," Ren answered calmly, standing to pick up the stone. The other man got there first.

"So it was all a ruse," he noted with a sigh, turning the stone over in one hand. "She's gotten much more clever. Making a distraction like this."

Ren frowned. Visual kei, freak, fascination with the stone. He could not be sure, but-

"I'm impressed," the man continued. "She could have killed you with that much hatred. I wonder why she didn't." He turned to regard Ren at that point, studying him closely. "Was this a gift? From someone who cared for you?"

"Yes." Ren did not feel nearly as comfortable telling this stranger the things that had so easily slipped out when talking to Kyoko. But he was interested when the man's face became frustrated.

"How careless of her. Better cut the connection first." He moved his free hand in a whimsical gesture over the palm containing the stone and nodded satisfactorily. "Honestly. She's so careless. Or maybe she'd rather be dead."

The thought seemed to amuse him more than Ren found comfortable.

"Look, could you please give that back? It's mine."

"Give me a minute? Seems like you've got some stuff in here that you could really do without. And I could really use it."

If he was trying to look harmless, he was failing. Ren opened his mouth to retort.

"I'm so sorry! I got held up at a crosswalk. The light was broke-" Kyoko froze in her tracks after having sprinted down the hallway, her skin going from pallid white to sickly pasty in a single second. She had come from behind Ren and so had not spotted Reino until she was close. Too close.

She started backpedaling.

"It's been a while," Reino smiled. Kyoko whimpered and stumbled over her own two feet, barely managing to keep her balance. Ren, positive as to who this man was now, stepped between him and Kyoko, cutting her from Reino's view.

"I need my stone back," he said quietly, holding out his hand. Reino smirked.

"Trade? I'll take her off your hands and you get this? It would be more than fair, you know. She has been trying to kill you."

"I have _not_," Kyoko croaked with fury. Reino shrugged.

"Fine. But you have been cursing him."

"I know that. She already told me," Ren interrupted. "Now, give me back the stone."

"Sure. Just a second. Come here, Kyoko." It made her sick, the way he voiced her name. It was not a caress, but there was something stroking about it. It made her feel invaded. She had always hated his voice.

In the next moment, her feet were moving forward. She let out a shriek of protest, but knew there was nothing she could do. Ren's stone held the better part of her soul. While Reino had it, her demons would call to her in terror, and she could not refuse them. An arm clamped down around her waist, dragging her back.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ren growled. She just shivered.

"Oh, she just can't help herself," Reino answered for her. "Besides, I'm already holding her." His fingers petted the stone in his hand and Kyoko whimpered again, leaning back into Ren.

"Give it back," Ren commanded, shifting until Kyoko was half hidden behind him, his arm preventing her from stepping forward.

"No, I don't think so," Reino answered calmly. "You see, as long as I have it, she'll be the one chasing me. It will be an excellent change."

The time for diplomacy was over. Ren moved quickly, startling the other two, and grabbed Reino by the wrist. Before he could voice a threat, there was a crackle of energy and Reino had flung himself back out of Ren's reach. Now his eyes were afraid. He glared at Kyoko.

"What kind of guard dog is this? Do you have any idea what he-" Reino stopped suddenly, looking down at the stone in his hand. Kyoko felt his power moving around her grudges, looking beneath them. He threw the stone quickly, and she blinked as Ren caught it. "Keep it. I'll be back for her later."

"No, you won't," Ren answered, working to keep a growl out of his voice. "You're going to stay away from her."

Reino looked between them for a long moment, weighing his odds. Then he shrugged back into his usual calm demeanor.

"Oh fine. I'll leave her alone. I wouldn't mind if you killed me, but you seem more like a mauling type. I'd prefer not to have to deal with pain."

"Go." Ren's answer was short and left no room for argument. Kyoko, noting the dark aura that she had sometimes seen around him in a much less potent form when she had made him angry, shivered.

Reino waved as he disappeared down the hallway, giving Kyoko one last long look. Her arms curled around her waist, but she glared at him as best as she could. Then he was gone.

Ren turned around to demand to know what had just happened, but succeeded only in catching Kyoko who had just fainted.

~...~

Kyoko woke surrounded in plush comfort. There was a feeling of security around her that was foreign, but comfortable. She curled up a little, nuzzling the soft pillow under her cheek and had almost fallen back asleep when a warm hand brushed across her face and made her eyes shoot open.

Ren had been watching her, thinking she was rather pretty when she let her guard down, and was startled to realize she was awake. She sat up and leaned away from him, glancing around the room. She did not recognize it. It was nice and finely furnished with two beds. It was probably twice as big as her entire apartment.

"Relax," Ren said, leaning back in the chair he was sitting in. "I didn't feel like searching through your pockets for your house key, so I brought you to my place. This is my guest room."

Knowing exactly where she had put her keys, Kyoko was grateful for his consideration. Now that the initial shock had worn off, that feeling of security came back. Maybe it was the high grade locks she knew had to be on the door, or the high rise view from the window on the other side of the room that told her only an insane idiot would try and climb up here. Or maybe it was Ren.

Probably the locks and the high rise.

"Thanks," she said, sliding over to the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble."

"Any time." He meant it. That was the weird part.

"Are you deranged?" Ren smiled.

"Not really."

"You do realize that I have been spending the last three months cursing you out of your job."

"I would say 'trying to curse,' personally," Ren answered. "And I told you, I don't believe in curses." Kyoko snorted.

"Well I do." Her look grew distant. "Reino is mine."

"He isn't going to bother you anymore," Ren said firmly. She gave him a crooked smile.

"He has his own brand of honesty," she explained. "His own logic, straight from Hell. He'll leave now, but he'll come back again. Someday."

"We'll see about that."

"Well, I will," Kyoko corrected him. Ren ignored this.

"How did you get mixed up with him?" Kyoko sighed.

"I worked at an inn. Lots of classic training meant lots of repressed emotions. Turns out I had the genetic quality needed to turn that into a force I could use to basically do whatever I wanted. I left when I realized that the people who were making life hard for me were starting to get into more and more dangerous situations. Reino was staying there the night I decided to run away." She paused, remembering something that made her frown. Ren was conscious of a desire to hold her and tell her everything was alright. "He told me about my abilities and that he could see them. He didn't tell me that he could hold them, trap them, but I figured that out soon enough. He thought I was amusing, so he followed me when I escaped." She paused, considering how to continue. "We were both stupid runaways. I was really young then. He didn't start to scare me until later. He found ways to make me angry, make me hate him, so that he could watch my powers. They entertained him. And then… he realized that I was growing up." Ren's fist clenched at the cool, factual tone of her voice. "I was already in the habit of trying to escape him, but more than hating him, I started to fear him. I've been trying to escape for a while. I was planning on leaving the country. He has even less money than I do and would have a hard time following."

"Get out how?" Ren asked. She smiled guiltily.

"This job. It was easily going to be my most profitable, and I had managed to loose Reino back in Kyoto. But I don't think that will work out anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because I really can't curse you if I don't hate you, and it's really hard to hate you when you went out of your way to protect me." Ren smiled.

"Oh. How unfortunate." Kyoko smiled in return, but it was weak.

"I guess I need to extend my lease." She winced. "And get a job. And return the money for this one."

"Will you have enough to cover your rent?" She glared at him.

"That is not a polite question."

"So you don't. Why don't we got to your apartment and grab your stuff and bring it here?"

"Because we have no good reason to," Kyoko answered with a confused look. Ren laughed.

"Well, since you're going to be staying here, it would make sense for your stuff to be here."

"I'm what?" she demanded.

"Staying here," Ren answered. "I have plenty of space and I won't charge you rent. No, don't get all angry. I don't mean you won't pay for it. Your payment is going to be making sure I get enough to eat."

"That is hardly fair to you," Kyoko pointed out.

"Maybe," Ren agreed. "But there are a few simple facts in this matter. One, you don't have a place to live. Two, at some point Reino is going to come back and it looks like he's scared of me."

"Why is that?" Kyoko asked suddenly.

"I know why I should be scary, but I couldn't tell you how he knows."

"He can see peoples' pasts sometimes," Kyoko mentioned lightly. "Though they have to be pretty strange to jump into him. What did you do?"

"We can go over my history some other time," Ren hedged tersely. "Third, I need someone to cook for me. And for Yashiro. And fourth, I want you to stay." Kyoko stared.

"You want what?"

"I want you to stay. You'll need to get a job of your own at some point, and I'm sure you'll have your own life. But I want you somewhere I can find you easily. It's important."

"Why?"

"I have no idea. I'll let you know when I figure it out."

"What will your girlfriend say?"

"I don't have one."

"You will someday."

"Maybe. We can deal with it if it happens."

"No, seriously, you will. It's a miracle you don't have one now."

"More like a choice."

"Fine. But you can't have me living in your apartment. Technically speaking, I'm a young single female."

Ren's voice colored with amusement. "Technically, yes." She was definitely female. A small, delicate, soft female. Carrying her to his apartment after having smuggled her onto all of his locations that day had taught him that much. Which was reason number five he was not letting her out of his sight. Such a soft creature needed to be looked after by a hard man. But he would not tell her that. She might not like it.

"So I can't live with you."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. My apartment was chosen specifically to keep out rumor hunters and you're smart enough to not get caught."

"I tried to curse you," she pointed out.

"Yes. But you already said you weren't going to do that anymore."

"I could end up staying here a long time," she tried.

"Probably."

"Forever," she threatened.

"Only if I want you to," Ren stated. "Grab your sweater and your shoes. Let's go get your stuff."

Kyoko followed with a grumble. As she tripped into her shoes, Ren made a mental note to tell the president and Yashiro about this. Yashiro would probably tease him, but that did not bother Ren. He was more worried about what his boss would say. With Lory, you just never knew how he would react. And he had been after Ren to make his life more interesting for ages.

And Kyoko was a girl...

* * *

_And end chapter three. Longest chapter yet, and I hope that you liked it. And that, again, you have a better idea of what I am trying to do with this self-challenge. I expect to get several more chapters out in a timely fashion, but this project will then take backshelf position as I finish my next longer fic. Poor Will. She is about to lose what remains of her life._

_Thanks to all reviewers.  
_


	4. Date

_I have learned my lesson. Never, _ever_, make a promise as to when I will update next. It will invariably not happen when I promised. Sorry for the delay. Here's the link to the cover I used this time. Again, remove spaces as logically appropriate._

_I should probably mention that I don't own _Skip Beat_ or any of its characters.  
_

http:/eatmanga . com/Manga-Scan/Skip-Beat/Skip-Beat-003

* * *

_**Vol 1. Act 3**_

She giggled as she watched the last details being put on, resisting the urge to tap her fingernails against the counter and hear the satisfying click of lacquer on marble. The woman working on her fingers gave her another curious look, but Kyoko ignored it, flexing the fingers of her finished hand and admiring the colors and detail.

She had a date.

Alright. Moko-san would probably kill her if she called it that. But Moko-san also refused to let it be called the "best friend shopping trip of happiness" or the "fulfillment of my greatest dream with my best girl friend." So Kyoko, in her own mind, called it a date.

"Finished," the woman announced, stepping back to let Kyoko admire the finished results. The jubilant grin on her face, as sweet and unrestricted as only Kyoko could make it, made the beautician smile in return. It was always nice to have one's work appreciated, and this girl, for all her strangeness, knew how to appreciate hard work.

"Thank you," she breathed, still admiring her hands. "They're perfect!"

After a quick and rather painless payment process (Kyoko's paycheck had been delightfully, almost scandalously, large of late) Kyoko bowed yet another thanks and skipped out the door to the nearest bus stop, careful of her hands. All the way to LME she kept glancing down, wiggling her fingers and watching the shine reflect off the yellow and red design. When her stop arrived she bounded down the steps and continued skipping to work, causing a number of people to give her skeptical looks. A few of the passersby were LME workers coming off their lunch break, and they smiled indulgently as they watched her float by. Kyoko received mixed reactions when making first impressions, but anyone who knew her for long looked on her favorably. She was a gentle, painstaking girl, with a few quirks. But starlets that were humble and looked to be headed for the top of the entertainment industry could afford eccentricities. Especially when they were LoveMe members.

Slipping through the employee entrance, Kyoko greeted the head of the music department as he left for his own break. He smiled and asked her how she was doing, earning a gleeful account of her plans for the day. Since his own opinion of her best friend was that Kanae was a cold girl with little personality to balance her severe work ethic, he was able to sincerely wish Kyoko that he hoped she had fun. She thanked him and asked if he had any tasks for her, but reassured that he was fine, she made her way to the LoveMe changing room and lost herself for a full ten minutes in a blissful daydream of how her date with Moko would go.

"What _are_ you doing?" demanded a chilly voice in the doorway. Kyoko immediately left off giggling and sharing a joke with her shirt (said garment standing in as Moko-san in Kyoko's fantasy) and rushed to greet her best friend. "Mo, stop that!" Kanae griped, holding Kyoko at arm's length.

"But Moko-san! I'm so glad to see you!"

"If you don't keep these disgusting displays to yourself, we are _not_ going shopping together."

Kyoko's eyes grew wide with terror and her lip trembled, a dark aura swirling around her. "Disgusting?" Kanae winced. "Won't go?"

"Mo, just stop acting like an idiot and calling me Moko-san at the top of your voice. I'm an actress, and so are you. We have a public image to uphold."

"Yes!" Kyoko promised with a military salute. "I will do nothing to embarrass Moko-san."

"Whatever. Just get to work. We still have stuff to do before we can leave."

With that, Kyoko was off.

~…~

"Mogami-san." Kyoko turned as she heard the familiar voice. She bowed to Ren and looked behind him trying to spot his manager. "Yashiro isn't here just now," Ren explained as he saw her looking about.

"Oh. Good afternoon, Tsuruga-san."

"You did your nails," he noted, sorry that the bright flowery design was wasted while she wore her pink overalls.

"Oh yes," Kyoko said, smiling. "I have a date with Moko-san."

To anyone else, this statement might have been shocking, but Ren was only amused as he watched the look of horror dawn on her face as Kyoko realized what she had just said.

"I'm glad," he told her, his composure making her look at him oddly. "It's nice when you get to spend time with your best friend. Are you going shopping?"

"Oh, yes," Kyoko answered cheerfully. "Only, do you think you could-"

"Not mention the word 'date' to her?" he supplied. Kyoko smiled gratefully.

"Please?"

"I'll take your secret to my grave," he promised. Kyoko thanked him and turned to leave. "By the way," he stopped her, "are all your shopping trips dates, or only ones with your best friend?"

"Just with Moko-san," she told him. "There are special circumstances."

"I see." Kyoko cocked her head, trying to decide if he had actually just sounded disappointed. "I'll see you again some other time, Mogami-san."

"Goodbye."

~…~

The auburn haired girl slurped the last of her soda and sighed contentedly. Beside her were a jumble of bags, more than she had ever dreamed she would be able to purchase in one trip, and across from her was her best friend.

"This is the best," she sighed as she stared dreamily at Kanae, who winced and glanced around to make sure no one was watching them. Inwardly, she was pleased, but she was also nervous. Being Kyoko's best friend was gratifying and terrifying. You never knew what she would do next.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy," she grumbled. "I just ate way too much for dinner, so there's no way I'm having dessert." Kyoko's eyes started watering.

"No ice cream?"

"No," Kanae told her resolutely.

"But… but-"

"No 'buts.' We've had plenty to eat."

"We always have ice cream," Kyoko mumbled, poking her chopsticks at her remaining food, then glancing up at her friend. "Always."

"Oh," Kanae groaned, a vein twitching as she watched the wounded puppy face, "fine. We can have ice cream."

There was an explosion of joy from the other end of the table and Kanae had to threaten to leave to get Kyoko to calm down. Now they were attracting a lot of attention.

"I'm sorry," Kyoko whispered penitently. "I won't do it again."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Fine, then we can head to one last store."

Kyoko gathered her bags with a grin and practically floated to their last stop. The boutique did not really cater to Kyoko's sweet, modest style, but she instantly set to work finding things for Kanae to try on. After a dozen outfits had been assessed and discarded, mostly due to overpricing, Kanae found a blouse that she liked and a pair of shoes that were on such a good sale it would be blasphemous to not buy them.

"They'll go great with at least half the stuff I bought today," she commented. Kyoko nodded in complete agreement.

"You get to wear the nicest things," she sighed wistfully. "You're so beautiful and mature-"

"Please, like you couldn't wear everything I bought today."

"No. I'm too short," Kyoko insisted.

"We aren't that different in height."

"And I look so young," she added sadly. Kanae snorted.

"You look as young as you want to. No one thought that Natsu was immature."

"Natsu wore lots of make-up."

"Mo, stop whining and try something on."

"Oh, I couldn't-"

"After all the torture you put me through, yes you can. And you will."

"But-" Ignoring her friend's protests, Kanae grabbed an outfit of the nearest rack and shoved Kyoko towards the changing room, throwing the clothes in after her.

"And don't come out again until you're wearing it," she ordered with a snap. There was a mumbled protest, but Kyoko exited in a few moments, wearing dark slacks and a crimson button up. She fiddled nervously with the buttons and looked bashfully at her friend.

"It just doesn't suit me," she insisted, shifting on her feet. Kanae snorted and handed Kyoko the shoes they had found. In spite of their difference in height, their shoe size was the same, and Kyoko obediently put them on. She squeaked in shock and horror when Kanae, in a burst of irrational inspiration, reached out and unbuttoned two of her top buttons and one of her bottom ones. "Moko-san!"

"Mo, shut up and stop whining. Just pretend you're someone else. Pretend you're me." Kyoko suddenly brightened and giggled.

"Moko-san would never wear her shirt like this," she pointed out. Kanae shrugged.

"And I'm not letting you run around like that either. But someday you might have to play a character that dresses in clothes you don't care for. So show me you can do it."

Kyoko bit her tongue to prevent herself from giving away that she already had taken a role that had made her as uncomfortable as she could possibly be in terms of costuming. Today's shopping trip was partly a repayment to Kanae for still not telling her anything about the dangerous mission Kyoko had been given. So she shrugged and slid into a character that she felt might fit the outfit.

Kanae would never get bored of watching Kyoko act. More than shopping, she wished she could spend all day in some sort of masquerade with Kyoko where they could test each others acting skills. Especially if she could get Kyoko to play a much less exuberant friend. She would have to settle for this. In less than a moment the shy, modest girl was gone to be replaced with a spunky, careless, fashionable female. The eyes became sharper, her stance subtly more provocative, and her limitless charisma almost felt like a physical presence. She set her legs apart and threw her arms behind her head, letting out a happy sigh.

"This," she declared firmly, but in a moderately decorous voice, "is the best shopping trip ever. We are amazing, Kanae."

The use of her given name took Kanae aback, and secretly delighted her. She kept her face stern however.

"Of course we're the best. What kind of stupid statement is that?" she retorted, softening the statement with a smile. Kyoko's answering grin was bright and she shrugged in passive answer to Kanae's question. After a bit more banter back and forth, they started to get a few looks and Kanae decided it was time to wrap up. "You should change back. We need to pay for my stuff and then head home before the last bus leaves."

"Oh, alright," Kyoko huffed as she turned back to the dressing room.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Kanae demanded, trying to hide her inner concern that she had offended her friend. She was surprised by the undisturbed and slightly ironic smile that Kyoko cast over her shoulder.

"I've worn worse," she promised before disappearing. Kanae stood outside, jaw agape.

~…~

"So, how was your date?" Kyoko let out a squeak and spun around in her chair. Ren was leaning against the doorway of the LoveMe room, smiling at her in his teasing way.

"Don't say that," she hissed. "You promised."

"I promised I would never say it to Kotonami-san. So, how was it?" Kyoko sniffed disdainfully, turning back to her work with her nose in the air.

"Much better than shopping with _you_," she told him in stern tones. "Moko-san has much better taste than you do. And she doesn't shamelessly try and buy me ten pairs of pants!" Ren chuckled.

"And _when_," demanded a menacing voice, "have you gone clothes shopping with _him_?" Ren glanced over his shoulder to receive a glare from the cold-eyed beauty behind him. He heard Kyoko whimper and mumble something unintelligible. "I can't hear you, Kyoko."

"It was a date," Ren said casually, stepping around Kanae with a smirk. "I have work. I'll see you later, Mogami-san."

"Tsuruga-san!" she wailed as he walked away.

"Well?" Kanae demanded. Kyoko whimpered.

* * *

_And end chapter four. I really hope that you are enjoying these shorts. I know they are not fantastic, but I hope that they are improving as I go along. I'm trying to get more comfortable with different kinds of writing. And I want to explore all the silly little plots in my head that never grow up into full stories._

_Thanks to Will for her hard work. She was ill this past week and had to put up with much whining from me, begging for her to edit this, which she did in spite of her sore throat and difficulty breathing. So special kudos to her this chapter._

_Thanks to people who are actually reviewing. It's nice to know that you care.  
_


	5. Great Expectations

_Chapter five for your reading pleasure. Link for picture posted. Remove spaces as logical._

http:/eatmanga. com /index. php/Manga-Scan/Skip-Beat/Skip-Beat-004/003. jpg ?action=big&size=original

* * *

_**Vol. 1 Act 4**_

When she had first bowed over their doorstep, Kyoko had been conscious of a feeling of inferiority. She had been trained in a ryoukan, taught posture, customer service, and even how to cook. But standing in that small, family owned restaurant with the happy customer noises in the background and the stern faced taisho in front of her, Kyoko had felt it had all been wasted. She felt dirty, disheveled, and small.

So when they had hired her, it had been a very pleasant surprise.

"You're very good at this," the okami-san had told her only a few days after she had started.

"Oh no," she had insisted. "I've just had practice." Okami-san had smiled and shaken her head, but she noticed a faint look of approval in her husband's eye.

~…~

She was more and more out of place. Kyoko was sure of it. Normal girls only worked a few part time jobs. She worked dozens, for as long as she could keep them. The Darumaya had been her only constant work. She had noticed a hardening of the taisho's eyes as her appearance upon arrival had become more disheveled, the bags under her eyes more pronounced, and the color of her skin less healthy.

They had started feeding her then, not just the occasional gift for hard work, but consistent meals. She was more than grateful, and tried not to feel conscious and guilty. Since it was the okami-san that always gave her the food, she assumed her taisho disproved of her.

She did not see the worry in his face as her dreams began to sour and her hope of being Sho's support became something perilously close to a drudgery.

"Don't you want to try dressing up and stuff, like other girls?"

Could the okami-san ever know how badly she wanted that? To be as beautiful as a princess so that she could stand by her prince? To be that graceful, that poised?

Husband and wife watched day in and day out as this tireless girl, so young and so alone, pushed herself into a wall.

And then…

~…~

And then she had been at their doorstep, her head touched lightly to the ground, a large bag beside her carrying her only remaining possessions.

"I know it is very troublesome, but you mentioned you had a spare room you wanted to rent. Could I please be given the privilege of being your tenant?"

The okami-san had looked briefly at her husband to get his approval and was surprised to find him stepping out from behind the counter. He walked over to the girl on the floor, picked up her bag, and dragged her to her feet with his other hand.

"A proper Japanese girl knows not to bow to a chef like she would to the emperor," he told her sternly, letting her arm go and taking her bag towards the stairs. Kyoko looked to the okami-san, who smiled and bowed to her.

"Welcome to our home," she said sweetly. "We look forward to your staying with us."

"No, the pleasure is mine!" Kyoko gasped as she bowed in return.

"Shall we head upstairs?"

"Yes, please!"

That night, speaking to her husband, the okami-san was not surprised to learn he was relieved that Kyoko had come to them. They would be able to take care of her and she could scarcely be called a burden to them. It would be a delight to have her in their home.

Even if sometimes she did make strange noises.

~…~

She had worked so hard for it. _So_ hard. When he had finally let her into his kitchen and she had demonstrated her skill, he had even praised her. Kyoko, if she had not been driven to distraction by her broken heart, would have worked for the rest of her life to keep the good opinion of the taisho. He was… magnificent.

"You dyed your hair!" the okami-san gasped. Kyoko looked up to see the taisho's eyes narrowing. She could not read him very well, but she knew what his displeasure looked like, and she wanted right then to crawl under a rock and die. Suddenly, all her other troubles seemed superfluous.

"He's just sulking." Kyoko blinked as she tried to comprehend this statement. "Up till now, you didn't care about your appearance and you knew how to behave well. That's why he liked you!"

It wasn't until later that Kyoko was able to reflect on that phrase. Liked. The taisho had liked her. But now that was over. She was selling herself to be a star (well, not as badly as some girls did, but…) and he no longer had a reason to respect her. In some ways, it was tragic. The couple at the Darumaya had saved her over and over as she had struggled in Tokyo. It would have been nice if she could have lived up to their expectations.

Kyoko laughed at herself. Since when had she ever met anyone's expectations?

~…~

"_I know that it's shameless, but I have a favor to ask of you, taisho!"_

Kyoko stood backstage, trying to calm down. The people in front of her were amazing of course. And she had the feeling she had not done well in her interview. Her hands clenched around the wrapped bundle in her hand and she felt the flat sharpness through her fingers. The knife must have been _very_ sharp. Suddenly, she felt her hands stop trembling. Pressing the wrapped knife to her heart she closed her eyes and took a small breath. The fears, tucked tightly in her chest, had been sliced through by that blade. The knife the taisho had entrusted to her.

~…~

Failed. She had failed. It was not her hands that had failed her. It was her heart. Again she had fallen short of expectations. Again she had disappointed the people she wanted most to impress. Again, _again_, she had failed the taisho and had wasted the gift he had given her.

Kyoko slumped down the stairs and prepared to depart, cheerfully informing her landlords that she was going to search for a daytime job.

"Does that mean… you're not going to become a celebrity?" the okami-san asked in somewhat disappointed confusion. Kyoko was quiet for a moment. So disappointing. And it was hard to give up on dreams. On anything really.

"I don't think it was for me," she explained as carelessly as she could. "Yesterday, I realized what was wrong with me." Something irreparable. Something she could never get back.

"You're giving up?" The stern, almost disbelieving tone of the taisho cut through Kyoko's gloomy thoughts and caused her to look up. "I… believed you were serious. That's why I lent you my precious tools. I thought you had more guts than that."

There was a thud in Kyoko's chest. Something inside her was slowly beginning to burn. Perhaps she was still too hurt and naive to recognize it. Maybe she had simply never been selfish enough to call it what it really was. But even her heart, beaten, broken, battered, and betrayed responded to her deepest longing. The desire to have someone, anyone, especially those close to her, love her. The question might have seemed like a scold, but in it, Kyoko could feel for the first time the depth of the trust she had been given. The trust that she wanted to keep. Her face hardened with determination, and for just one brief second she could have sworn she saw the taisho smile in response.

* * *

_I hope that you were able to enjoy this chapter. Thank you still to all those who are reviewing. I hope that I can continue to write things that you enjoy._

_As a side note, if anyone has a request for something they would like to see in the upcoming chapters, let me know. I'll see if I can work your ideas into my stories as an added challenge for me.  
_


	6. Fragments

_After an incredibly long wait I am posting an equally incredibly long chapter. I hope it makes up for lost time. Enjoy. Also, picture link included. Remove spaces as logic dictates._

http:/eatmanga . com/Manga-Scan/Skip-Beat/Skip-Beat-005

* * *

_**Vol 1 Act 5**_

A woman's heart was precious above all other things.

On it would be etched the name of the man she loved. He would hold it, treasure it, protect it, care for it, and as long as he did so she would feel joy above anything else on earth.

A man's heart was his greatest weakness.

It was elusive, concealed by pride and strength to hide its delicate fragility. On it would be carved the name of the woman he loved. She would hold it, hide it, protect it, and as long as she did so he would have a peace and joy that nothing else could provide him.

The heart was the core of true happiness.

Mogami Kyoko had been taught this since she was very small. She heard the horror stories, of course. Of hearts with names scratched out, of chinks and dents in poorly cared for hearts. She had heard the achingly wonderful stories of hearts with more than one name, where a partner had died and their remaining lover had found someone else to carry them through the rest of their life.

But best of all, Kyoko loved to hear about the Perfect Hearts. Only those who found True Love after the sorest of trials could have a Perfect Heart. Unblemished, shining, these were beacons of pure happiness, eventually becoming family heirlooms that stood as a reminder of how perfect a love could be.

Kyoko looked over her shoulder, her eyes resting on her prince. Fuwa Shotaro was rambunctious even for a seven year old, and was being scolded by his father for throwing rocks at guests. But her cheeks warmed as she looked at him and she smiled in spite of his behavior.

He was her world, that Sho-chan.

"Really, I don't know what I'm going to do with him," Sho's mother sighed as she glided gracefully to stand next to Kyoko. "He needs someone to be watching him constantly."

"I'm sure he'll grow out of it," Kyoko answered softly. She received a warm smile in return.

"If he doesn't, he's going to need someone very special to take care of him. Someone who can reach his heart, even through all that selfishness."

"He isn't that bad," Kyoko retorted, still speaking softly. She was given a tired smile in answer.

~…~

"You're going to _what_?" Ren sighed over his lunch, absently poking at the barely touched food. Yashiro tried again. "Please repeat what you said. It made no sense. I must not have heard you right."

"You certainly misquoted me," Ren sighed smiling politely at his senior. Yashiro snorted at the smile and jabbed his chopsticks at Ren.

"That smile works on other people, but I know how little respect you're giving me. Honestly, you need to treat your seniors with more sincerity. I'm your senpai you know."

"Oh exalted senpai," Ren intoned in mock seriousness, "please don't misquote me at the office. Our beloved, and oh so exciting president might hear you."

"Oh fine. But seriously, what happened?" Ren sighed again.

"I was just walking to dinner yesterday and I saw a girl walking with some guy. I noticed him first, really. Then she smiled and I…" he drifted off, too embarrassed to say again the thought that had run through his head. He was trying to figure out what evil demon had prompted him to confide in his senpai in the first place.

Oh right. The evil demon that worked upstairs that said he needed to make friends. Why was his life so complicated?

"You thought, 'I'm going to marry her,'" Yashiro finished.

"'I want to marry her,'" Ren corrected, then winced at Yashiro's smile. "It was just a random thought," he continued casually, striving to keep the defensive note out of his voice. "It doesn't mean anything."

"What doesn't mean anything?" Both men at the table blinked as the third seat at their table suddenly filled with the illustrious and gloriously flamboyant company president. He smiled broadly at his employees who were trying to figure out how he had made such a discreet entrance. Not that he was discreet. Dressed as an Egyptian pharaoh with his aide in attendance, he drew plenty of attention. But that he had come in without a parade was unusual.

"Good afternoon, Takarada-shachou," Yashiro bowed from his seat. Ren, insolent and irritated, nodded a silent greeting. Lory raised a brow, but Ren took a large bite of food and continued in silence.

"Hello, Yashiro-san. What is my young protégé up to today?" Ren smiled blindingly at his boss.

"Sir, I'm hardly worth your attention. I'm only a junior employee after all. Isn't this a bit conspicuous?" Lory snorted.

"Tell me honestly that all eyes in this room weren't already focused on your table and maybe I'll feel bad."

"Are there any men in the room?" Ren asked pointedly.

"Sitting at tables with women looking at you, yes. Those would be the murderous glares that are building up the heat on the back of your head."

"Oh joy," Ren grumbled, taking another reluctant bite of food.

"I still say you should have been a model," Yashiro mumbled around a mouthful of his own lunch. "You would have been voted the Sexiest Man in Japan."

"He can always make a career change," Lory noted. "What doesn't mean anything?"

"Ren found a girl," Yashiro answered before his kohai could deny anything. Lory's face lit up in excitement. "Well, saw a girl," he amended apologetically.

"Well that's certainly an improvement from a girl pouncing on him and dragging him into a relationship," Lory conceded, still slightly deflated. "What did he say to her?"

"I'm still here," Ren pointed out coolly. He was ignored.

"He didn't say anything. There was another man with her." The sparkle was back in Lory's eye.

"Boyfriend? Brother?" Yashiro looked to Ren, unsure. The younger man considered not answering and simply walking away from the table, but he had the feeling that he would be mobbed and a scene would occur that would be humiliating and risky.

"They didn't look related," he said calmly. "They weren't… intimate in any way. They were just walking together, and she smiled at him."

"Smiled?" Lory asked with a quirked brow.

"Like he was the only thing in her world," Ren added with a touch of asperity. Yashiro shifted uncomfortably, but Lory ignored the tone. A relationship of too many years was built between the president and this relatively new employee to expect Ren to treat his boss with the same ingrained cultural respect that others showed. Too many years in foreign lands to boot.

"Sounds like you've got a challenge," the older man mused, leaning back and steepling his fingers. "What's your plan?"

"Well, tomorrow, I will wake up and go to work. I will work until evening, when I will go home, probably read a book, and then go to bed. The next day, I will do the same thing, and the next day, and the next, and the next, barring the weekend when I will most likely-"

"Don't," Lory interrupted with an expression of acute pain, "for love's sake, tell me what pathetic plans you have for your weekends. My poor heart couldn't take it."

"Then we're done talking about this?" Yashiro winced this time, and Lory decided to give Ren a warning frown. He looked a bit worried, but schooled his features quickly enough. "Sir?"

"You give up way too easily," Lory grumbled, unrepentant when Ren's eyes flashed. "Don't you want anything badly enough to fight for it?"

~…~

Lunch.

The bane of his existence at noon every single day of his life. Ren wondered what the point of food was. In order to escape Yashiro's pestering (a full week and the man had not let this unidentified girl drop), he had escaped from the office as quickly as he could saying there was a new place he wanted to try out and he would report back on it later.

Problem. He now needed to find a new place to eat.

Systematically examining restaurants as he walked along, he realized he would need to head fairly far out to find a place to eat that was not known to his coworkers. Resigning himself to a short meal and two long walks, more to his taste than eating anyway, he kept a casual eye on where he was going and turned down a random street.

Fifteen minutes later, much shorter than he had expected, the scenery had changed. Tall business buildings shrank to neighborhood style shops. And food was looking fairly scarce. Things were going to get interesting if he tried to explain to Yashiro that he had gotten lost, which meant he needed to hurry and find something, _anything_, to eat.

And then, there was divine intervention.

A small restaurant, tucked between two larger buildings, an intimidating daruma painted in black next to the name on the sign above the door. Walking in, he was met with the equally intimidating stare of the taisho behind the counter. Rather than taking a seat there, Ren decided to find a nice corner to hide in. He was already getting stares from other customers. Trying to avoid looking anyone in the eye, he felt rather than saw the waitress approach.

"Welcome. What can I get for you today?" Ren looked up and froze. "Sir?"

"Oh." He looked down quickly, trying to regroup his thoughts. It was _her_. "Sorry. I haven't decided yet."

"Would you like a suggestion?" He glanced up and was instantly caught by her expression, helpful and earnest. He was smiling back, he realized. Like he had not smiled since he had come out here.

"Please," he accepted, watching with no small amount of amusement as she colored slightly, but held her composure.

It was the best lunch he had ever eaten.

~…~

"You saw her again!" Yashiro's eyes glinted with barely repressed glee. Ren wondered what force of nature had prompted him to confide yet again in this insane, dare he say fangirl, of a senpai.

"I happened to have lunch at the place where she works," he stated casually.

Instead of dropping the subject, Yashiro's smile turned sly and glanced at Ren sideways before asking archly, "Ren, did you stalk her?"

The thought had not even crossed the younger man's mind.

"No. I don't even know her name. How could I possibly stalk her?"

"You didn't ask her?" His senpai looked stupefied.

"There wasn't a good reason to," Ren answered defensively.

"You want to see her again," Yashiro countered. Ren felt compelled to stay silent. He did want to see her again, but that was not a good excuse to act like a lovestruck idiot.

"She probably has a boyfriend," he finally answered. Yashiro snorted.

"Or she doesn't."

"It doesn't matter. She's probably in high school."

"And you're ancient."

"I'm too old for her," Ren stated with a chilling smile. Yashiro shivered, but ignored the warning.

"Ren, girls grow up faster than boys do. And if she's working while she should be in high school, she probably doesn't have an easy life. She's probably older than a cushioned gentleman like you."

Ren did not answer. Let Yashiro misunderstand. It was easier than admitting the truth.

~…~

"**You said you wouldn't call anymore.**" His voice was tight as he tried not to growl into the mouthpiece. It was times like this that he was not sure who he was anymore.

"**Kuon, your mother and I are worried about you-"**

"**You have no idea how Mom feels. The only reason you are calling me is probably because she still won't talk to you.**" There was silence from the other end.

"**You left so suddenly…**"

"**For a reason. I didn't need to be harassed into hesitating. I'm doing fine. Work is simple. Would you leave me alone?**" He could almost feel the pain coming from the other side of the line. He had kept his temper so much better before, when he had had to see his parents face to face. Lying had been easy then. Now, a continent away, the bitterness he felt towards himself leaked out and made him irritable. He loved his parents. He loved them more than anything. Why could they not just leave him alone? They deserved better than to be tainted by him. Their perfect love did not need him. "**I'm sorry, Dad. I'm just a bit tired. This isn't a good time.**"

"**When is?**" The voice was not perky, but held a trace of hope that Kuon felt guilty quashing.

"**Never, Dad. I need space.**"

"**There's an ocean between us!**" Pain and frustration. Why did he do this to them. Why did they let him hurt them so much?

"**Sorry, Dad. I just… want to forget it ever happened.**" He could feel his father sagging, imagine him leaning against the couch, burying his face in his hand and remembering those painful weeks after the accident. Ren struggled to the surface. "I want to forget that Kuon Hizuri ever existed."

He hung up. He did not need to hear father start to cry.

~…~

"Sir, are you alright?" Ren, Kuon had decided, was a masochist. He had barely slept after his conversation with his father, and had decided that today of all days he was going to further torment himself by trying to see this girl again.

"I'm fine," he answered with his most gentle smile. She frowned, her hands clenching tightly on the tray in her hands. He got the impression that she did not believe him.

"Is… there anything that I can do for you?" Ren immediately discarded all of Kuon's answers, glancing at the taisho to remind his more volatile self that it would be dangerous as well as stupid. Her earnestness touched him again. Something tight inside of him eased slightly.

"No, but thank you. I'll be just fine."

"Alright. Let me know if you need anything."

_You._ But he could not say that. It made no sense to. "I'll be fine. I just need a good lunch." She smiled brightly at that.

"Taisho is the best. We'll make sure you have an excellent meal!"

Ren made an oath then and there that he would _not_ tell Yashiro how much he had wanted to kiss her just then.

~…~

"Since you won't tell me where that girl works," Yashiro began, ignoring Ren's ignoring him, "I found another place to eat. We should go some time."

"Why?" Ren asked after he had swallowed his bite of food.

"Are you even Japanese?" Yashiro demanded. "I'm your senpai. That's why."

"I thought drinking was traditional for associating outside of work."

"I don't drink very much," Yashiro admitted quietly, looking out the business's café window to avoid Ren's questioning gaze. "It's too expensive."

Ren blinked.

"You have a stable job in one of the most affluent companies in the country and are head of your division. In what universe is drinking too expensive for you?"

"I kill all my electronics," Yashiro told him with a serious look. Ren stared.

"What, do you drop your phone into your cup every time you get a bit tipsy?" Yashiro's nose went into the air.

"Hardly. I'm perfectly capable of holding my alcohol."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I forget my gloves."

Ren decided that he did not want to know.

~…~

"Your father called me." Lory held a cigar easily in one hand. Ren did his best to not wrinkle is nose. Quitting smoking had been a challenge. He now had a very powerful aversion to cigarettes as long as he did not have one in his hand. But to reach this point, second hand smoke had become beyond repulsive to him, and sitting in a room with Lory Takarada meant he had to smell smoke. "He's… worried about you."

"He always worries," Ren answered, careful not to let the slightest concern show on his face. "Did you really need to call me up here to tell me that?"

"What did you say to him?"

"Aren't my conversations allowed to be personal? I called him at home, on my own phone. Well, he called me there. I've disconnected the number now. I only really need a work phone. Maybe he's worried because he can't reach me."

"I hope so," came the calm reply. "Although, that hardly warrants him asking me if I think you're suicidal."

It was a battle of wills that Ren was not sure he was going to win. Lory knew him well enough to see right through him if he was not very careful. And he had not realized that his father would be so impacted by what he had said.

"I assume you told him I was perfectly fine," he answered in what he hoped was an amused and slightly incredulous tone.

"Oh I did. Although he seemed worried enough that I told him you had found a girl you were interested in. He seemed to think that made you safe."

Angry barely covered what Ren felt just then. Livid seemed to work well, though.

"You told him _what_?" He smiled. He made sure he smiled, because Ren would smile, and Kuon was determined to prove that he was Ren now.

"I told him you had an interest in a girl. Smart thing, disconnecting your phone, by the way. I told him you didn't talk about it, and that I didn't know very much, so I imagine he is still trying to reach you. Have you checked your old email address?"

"I shut it down."

"Then he's probably getting lots of dial tones and error message emails."

"I can't believe you told him that."

"He's my friend. He was worried. I comforted him."

"You do realize that when I don't contact them in the next few weeks to tell them I am engaged, they are going to come out here and ruin everything."

"I'll keep them at bay. Trust me, Ren. I want you to succeed as much as they do."

"Thanks." His tone was scorching dry.

"It's what I'm here for," came the cheerful answer. "So, what's this about you stalking this high school girl?"

Ren promised to kill Yashiro.

~…~

"You're here again." She seemed delighted to see him, and he tried to ignore that this was because regular customers were what kept a place like this in business. He had been coming every other day since his father had called. She was not there every day, but he liked the atmosphere here.

"It's close to work and I enjoy the food here."

"Taisho is amazing," she sighed happily. "Would you like your usual, Tsuruga-san?"

"You know my name?" She turned pink.

"It's on your planner," she said quietly, glancing at the innocuous volume on the table. Ren had been using the wait time while his order was prepared to set his schedule. Apparently she had been watching him more closely than he thought. This delighted him, but he tried to keep his smile merely polite.

"I see. I guess I just felt strange because I don't know your name."

"Oh, my name isn't important," she stammered, straightening into a stiff posture. "I'm only your server."

He had the feeling he needed to be clever about this. "It doesn't seem fair, you knowing my name and not telling me yours." She blanched and bowed suddenly, a scrambled apology pouring out of her lips. Since the rest of the customers only chuckled and shook their heads, Ren assumed this was not too unusual.

"I'm so sorry!" she gasped at last, pausing to take a breath.

"You didn't need to apologize so much," Ren told her, grinning. "I'm not the sort of guy who holds grudges against someone who apologizes sincerely the first time." Well, not anymore.

"Oh." Her look of relief was hilarious. Really, this girl.

"But," he continued, "I would like to know your name." She hesitated for a long moment.

"Mogami Kyoko," she said at last. He resisted the impulse to call her Kyoko with some difficulty. Stupid Japanese customs.

"Mogami Kyoko," he repeated slowly, enjoying how it sounded. "Thank you for telling me you name, Mogami-san."

"I- I need to take Taisho your order," she mumbled, almost as though she were slightly dazed. Ren's smile, already brighter than he even knew he could produce, lingered as he considered this new development.

Mogami Kyoko. Her name was Mogami Kyoko.

What on earth was he going to tell Yashiro?

~…~

"I saw Kyoko-chan again today," Yashiro announced as he approached Ren's work desk. "Was your Mogami-san at the Darumaya?"

"Are you in love with that café waitress?" Ren asked mildly as he sorted the papers he would be taking home. Work seemed to be piling up over the past few weeks.

Yashiro chuckled. "No. Unlike you, I actually am too old to take an interest in a high school girl. But she's cute. Kind of like the little sister I always wanted."

"To call you Onee-san?" Ren asked, earning a grumble from his superior.

"I am perfectly and completely male," Yashiro told him, following Ren out to the parking garage. Ren was not sure how it had happened, but he had adopted the role of chauffer for his senpai. "Just because I still read comics-"

"Girl comics. And you watch high school dramas. I know the entire plot of _Box R_ and I've never seen a single episode."

"Well, Amamiya Chiori is an actress with impact. Her portrayal of Natsu is interesting."

"And then there's that other drama you are addicted to…"

"Usegi Hio is a child prodigy in acting," Yashiro declared forcefully. "And Kotonami Kanae is a genius actress. They say she can memorize a script just by glancing through it once!"

"I'm noticing a trend in the females that you pay attention to," Ren noted.

"They're actresses?"

"They're in high school. What kind of older brother figure did you plan on being for this Kyoko-chan?"

"You have a dirty mind," Yashiro grumbled. "I'll bet you think a brother figure is some kind of obsessed freak that spoils his little sister rotten and drags her around all over the place, pouting if she looks at another man."

"Well, at the very least, you've missed you calling in life. You should have been a manager in the entertainment industry." Yashiro shook his head.

"I couldn't handle it. I wouldn't be able to make calls."

"Why?" Yashiro looked up at Ren, almost hurt.

"You honestly haven't noticed that I never touch the work phone? And that I don't even own a computer?"

No, he had not noticed. Ren felt a bit guilty. "Why?"

"I break electronics. If I touch them with my bare skin for more than ten seconds, they just stop working. And they can't be revived. I have to use rubber gloves to pick up my home phone or turn on my television."

Something tickled Ren's memory. "That's why you don't drink? Because you forget the gloves and touch things?"

"More or less." He changed the subject suddenly. "So when are we going to have lunch together again?"

"Yashiro-san-"

"You're going to make that taisho suspicious if you keep coming and getting Mogami-san to take her break and have lunch with you. He'll think you're toying with her feelings or something."

"And he will come at me with a cleaver," Ren agreed. "Such is my fate."

"Killed for love, and before you've even confessed," Yashiro smirked as he slipped into the car. Ren rolled his eyes and slid into the driver's seat.

~…~

The image on the television was painful, but Kuon did not look away. It was his parents twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Since he could not be there, the least he could do was to watch the official celebration. It was the one thing about his parents being celebrities that was beneficial. If he was ever feeling anxious or nostalgic, he could easily keep up with their lives.

While most of the party would be private, there was a public portion which included a presentation of their life together. Pictures of the time when they had first met flashed by, and Kuon smiled at those. His parents had both recounted how hard it had been to move from being friendly coworkers to lovers. His mother had been chased by all sorts of men for her beauty and his father had been harassed for his popularity in the acting world. It had taken cleverness and several agonizing months for his father to figure out how to show Julie that he was sincerely interested in her as a woman. And another few to chase all the other desperate men out of her life. As the pictures moved into their very brief engagement, the smiles he saw on the screen were blinding in their brightness.

But it was the pictures after their marriage that sent stabbing pains into his heart.

He had thought that after his abrupt exit from his parents' lives, his father would have stopped being such an oya-baka.

Clearly he was wrong.

Picture after picture of his family together from the time he was young until just before he left. And the pain lurking in all of their eyes as his own life slowly fell into the abyss. The last picture was perhaps the worst. His parents were standing alone in their home in front of a large display over their rarely used fireplace. The display held two glowing golden hearts. His parents' hearts. Perfect Hearts radiating True Love.

He could remember his father laughing as he had told Kuon he had put up the display to tell the rest of the world that Julie was his forever. It fit his father's demonstrative nature, Kuon had thought at the time. He had wished his father was less demonstrative as time had gone on.

That less than perfect picture was haunting. The love that he could never obtain framed behind the people whose hearts he had wounded. The pain in their eyes condemning him even as he sat a continent away.

When the program ended he stayed there, frozen on the couch, staring blankly at the television until the sun crept up through the window behind him.

~…~

"Tsuruga-san, are you sick?"

"No," he answered instinctively. His head throbbed just then and he winced, ruining the effect. She fluttered near him, clearly worried.

"Is your throat scratchy?"

"Scratchy?"

"Kind of itchy and hot."

"A little…"

"And your head hurts? And your appetite is worse than normal. And you ordered different food. And you're looking flushed." Her conviction was convincing, but he could not bear to think that he was actually sick just because he had stayed up all night long. How many all-nighters had he pulled as a teenager and been just fine?

"Mogami-san, I can safely say I have never been sick before in my life."

"Then how would you know what it's like to be sick?"

She had a point, but he simply shook his head. If he really was sick, he would deal with it.

~…~

Yashiro had had to be almost thrown out of the car. He had told Ren he had better be careful to not get pulled over because he looked almost drunk.

"Get some medicine and go to bed," had been the order, and Ren felt strange enough to want to comply. The only problem he had run into as he had stopped at the nearest convenience store to hunt down cold medicine was that he had no idea what he needed. And his vision was just blurry enough that he was having a hard time reading labels.

"Tsuruga-san?" He closed his eyes and prayed he had heard wrong. "Is it really you?"

"Good evening, Mogami-san." He tried to greet her normally as she approached, but turning put him off balance and when his dizzy spell had subsided he found himself being mostly supported by a very slight and straining female.

"You are sick!" she was scolding. "What are you doing up and about! You should be in bed! What were you thinking?"

"Medicine…" was all he managed to get out before he coughed twice. "Why are you here?"

"Picking up some food before I head home," she answered calmly. "You need help. Do you have someone at home to take care of you?" His smile was bitter.

"I live alone."

~…~

When he woke up the next day he was feeling much better. His head hurt less and things did not spin quite so much. He only stumbled slightly as he made his way out of his bedroom towards the bathroom to shower. He felt disgusting and sticky.

When he at last emerged, clean and with only a scratchy throat and minor headache as reminders of his horrible day yesterday, he nearly tripped as he stepped into his living room to be greeted by the smell of food and the sight of Mogami Kyoko sitting in his living room at his coffee table in front of his television, setting a glass of the most dangerous looking liquid he had ever seen down next to a bowl of soup. She looked up and smiled as she spotted him.

"Good morning, Tsuruga-san. You're looking like you feel much better. Why don't you come have your breakfast?"

Ren stared at her blankly.

"Why- What are you doing here?" He watched her shift uncomfortably.

"Do you… not remember?"

"Vaguely. I met you at the store, but after that…"

"You said you lived alone and that you'd never been sick before. We… agreed that it would be a good idea for me to come home with you. So I made you some food, gave you your medicine, and then you went to bed. You told me to use the guest room. And the bath. Thank you, by the way."

"We agreed to this?" He was confused more than angry, but she seemed to recoil at this, and looked a bit guilty.

"You were… a little confused. And you didn't seem to mind too much," she told him, looking up at him sheepishly. Well, he could not deny that there was something fulfilling about seeing her in his home, but still…

"I don't mind. I'm just sorry to have caused you so much trouble."

"Oh, it wasn't any trouble at all. Besides," she added seriously, "you really weren't in any condition to be left alone. It was a miracle you made it home in one piece."

"I'm surprised you got in the car with me," he teased calmly, coughing once as he sat down at the table.

"Well, you were fairly lucid as long as you were talking. It wasn't until you got home that you collapsed."

"I'm sorry. That must have been difficult." Why was she looking away from him? Were her ears red? Was she blushing?

"Well, once you were conscious again it wasn't too bad. I told you to get ready for bed and by the time you had I had finished making dinner."

"I'm sorry. It sounds like you had to do a lot of annoying things for me." She smiled brightly.

"Oh no. I'm used to taking care of people. My situation at home is like that."

"Really? They must have missed you last night then. Did you call them and let them know you were alright." This time her face fell as she looked away. Ren felt something tighten in his chest.

"No. I wasn't expecting- There wasn't any reason too- My… housemate was on a business trip."

It was the way she evaded his question that made him suspicious. Like she was hiding something important.

"Don't you live with the owners of the Darumaya?"

"Oh no! They've told me I'm welcome to stay with them, but… the person I'm living with really can't take care of themself. I'm much better off where I am."

One person. A sudden vision of the boy he had seen her walking with assaulted him. Was she living with her boyfriend? That did not seem like her, but the thought seemed to stick with him unpleasantly.

"Well, in any event, you've helped me. Is there anything that I can do for you?"

"Nothing at all! I'm just glad I was able to help. It would have been horrible if you had been left on your own."

"You're probably right. But if you ever need anything, please let me know. I'd be glad to repay you."

~…~

As long as he was behaving oddly, he might as well abandon his normal spot. He had skipped lunch today and had come by the Darumaya for dinner instead. He was feeling reckless and instead of reverting to his old pastime of picking fights, he decided sitting in front of the taisho would fulfill his "need for danger" quota without endangering anyone but himself.

"The usual?" It was a gruff question, but Ren did not mind. He could understand taciturn man a little better now. And he knew better than to pick fights with overprotective father figures.

"Please," he answered, trying to ignore the looks he was getting from a teenage girl on the other side of the room who was there with her family. At least her mother was not staring too.

"Kyoko-chan isn't here tonight," the taisho noted as he began preparing Ren's food.

"I noticed."

"She said her friend would be home tonight and she wanted to be there to make dinner for them."

"Oh."

"Has she told you anything about her friend?"

"No."

"She never talks about that person. Like she thinks they're shameful or bad."

"Oh."

"She talks about you." Ren looked up at that.

"Does she?"

"From time to time. She worries about you. And she's not ashamed of you."

"I see." He did not really, but he did not think he should admit that.

~…~

"I've been talking to Kyoko-chan," Yashiro announced.

"You always talk to Kyoko-chan," Ren grumbled. "I think I know every possible thing about her that she's told you. Like how she ran away from home and is living with her best friend. And how the boy she loves is a musician who never has time for her. And that she has to work a half dozen part time jobs to survive here in Tokyo."

"I feel bad for her," Yashiro sighed.

"I've noticed."

~…~

"Why are we having lunch here again?" Ren asked as he slid into the chair and winced at the elegant, somewhat effeminate surroundings. Yashiro might fit in a place like this. Ren even might have if he were alone. But two guys coming here together for lunch? They were getting some very interesting looks.

"Because Mogami-san told you yesterday that she would not be at work today, so I figured it would be a good day to introduce you to Kyoko-chan."

"Am I here to give my blessing?" Ren had a hard time keeping the sarcasm out of his voice. He already knew a Kyoko and was just fine with knowing just the one. He had avoided telling Yashiro her first name so that his senpai would not be able to make awkward suggestions about them being the same person. Because they were _not_ the same person. Kyoko and Mogami Kyoko were very different people working in very different places and Mogami Kyoko was not in a dire situation that Ren could not resist trying to save her from.

"No."

"Then are you trying to set me up with her?" Yashiro chuckled.

"Not really. She doesn't strike me as your type. But I figured it would do you good to know that rational and decent females exist in the world."

"The president put you up to this, didn't he?"

Yashiro shifted slightly. "He might have mentioned that it would be a good thing to do for you."

"I don't need to be saved from some misplaced notion of females, Yashiro-san. I know there are good girls in the world."

"Well, maybe I think it would be good for her too. This guy she's obsessed with doesn't strike me as being very good for her."

"So you're recommending me instead? That seems a little cruel."

"Why? You won't lie to her, or lead her on, or hurt her in any way. I don't really expect her to fall _in _love with you, just _out_ of love with him."

"That idea strikes me as incredibly stupid." Yashiro sighed.

"Still no respect for your seniors," he bemoaned artistically. Ren rolled his eyes.

"Oh, Yashiro-san, you aren't alone toda-" Ren froze as he recognized the voice of their waitress. "Ts-Tsuruga-san?" He smiled as best as he could.

"Hello Mogami-san. I didn't realize that you worked here."

"Only on some days. Normally if I'm not at the Darumaya I'm working at a fast food joint." She seemed very nervous, looking between the two men anxiously. "Can I take your orders?"

~…~

"She's in high school?" Lory asked, more than slightly amused. Ren counted to ten in every language that he knew to keep from screaming while Yashiro answered.

"High school age. She doesn't have time to take classes with all of her jobs. She's never said it outright, but I think the friend she lives with is the guy that she likes."

"Wow, it looks like you might have already lost," the president sighed as he gave Ren a smirk. Ren looked up from his notes to glare at the other two men.

"We're supposed to be discussing important business," he reminded them calmly. "This project-"

"What is a more important business than romance?" Lory demanded. "Ren, you're falling in love with a woman who's barely noticed you in spite of all your advantages! This is important. She's important."

"If I agree with everything you have said would you please get back to work so that I can go have lunch."

"Why would you care about lunch? You hate food."

"Kyoko-chan's working at the Darumaya today," Yashiro noted.

"Business," Lory agreed, picking up papers and attacking them with his pen.

~…~

"Mogami-san, are you alright?" He watched her jump, startled, from her seat across from him. He had managed to convince her to take a break and join him for lunch today. It did not happen often, but the taisho had almost forced her this time. Ren could understand why. She smiled at all the customers, but something was wrong.

"I'm fine. Everything is perfect!" She was just too cheerful.

"Is your… roommate sick?" Her shameful flush worried him, but she shook her head.

"I don't think so. The truth is I- I moved out yesterday. I'm living here now."

"Oh." He should not feel so much joy when she was in so much pain. But he could not help it. "Did something happen?" She was silent. "Can you not talk about it?"

"I- I was just stupid. I- imagined things. Thought that I understood. Now I understand." The heartache in her tone made him reach out and carefully cover her hands resting on the table.

"I've had that kind of problem," he told her softly. "I think I can understand a little." She pulled her hands onto her lap.

"I just… had this dream that life would happen a certain way. And it didn't. Now I don't really know what to do."

"Do you want to talk about it?" She shook her head.

"Not today."

"Alright. But let me know if you change your mind. I'd be glad to help." She smiled then, still sadly but more honestly, he thought.

"You're a very nice person, Tsuruga-san." He repressed a wince.

"I've been trying. I really wasn't before." Well that was an incredibly stupid thing to admit. Why was she giggling?

"I don't see you being very angry," she told him. "It's hard to imagine."

"You have to care about things to get angry," he answered. "More than trying to be nice, mostly I try not to care too much. You're probably one of the few exceptions." She looked shocked and he tried to think how he could take back that statement. By the time he left he was still thinking.

~…~

"I found out who Kyoko-chan was living with," Yashiro announced as he walked past Ren's desk.

"Good for you," he mumbled, pretending to still be focused on the computer in front of him. A piece of paper with a name scrawled on it fluttered past his face.

"Seems like a real Casanova," the senpai added before disappearing to his own work. Ren managed to ignore the paper for a full ten minutes before he looked at the little white slip. On it was written _Fuwa Sho – pop star_. Twenty minutes and a few websites later, Ren had a pretty good idea of who Fuwa Sho was. He was the guy that had been walking with Kyoko that day, and he was also apparently becoming fairly famous. The few girls he was rumored to be in relationships with were nothing like Kyoko.

It took several deep, cleansing breaths and the reassurance that she was no longer living with this guy to convince Kuon to stop trying to figure out ways to hunt him down. But Ren, finally back in control, closed down his internet browser and went back to his paper shuffling. She never had to see the jerk again. He was out of her life and done hurting her. That was enough.

Right?

~…~

Ren was confused when he entered the store and the okami-san approached him. He could not see Kyoko anywhere and both the taisho and his wife seemed subdued.

"Hello Tsuruga-san. Your table is open. Will you be having your usual?"

"That was the plan. Is Mogami-san alright? I don't see her." The okami-san smiled sadly.

"She wasn't feeling very well. I think she's still upstairs, resting."

"I see."

"When you're finished you should go up and see her." Ren stared at the taisho in shock. "She could use encouragement."

Ren was too stunned to manage more than a, "Yes sir," in response. When he had finished his small meal, he was directed to the back of the store to a set of narrow stairs. Having been told that Kyoko's room was the one on the right, he found himself hesitating at the bottom of the steps. What on earth could he do for her? Was he actually going to invade her personal space? Her room?

Scolding himself for behaving like a kid, he moved upstairs and paused outside her door, listening. If she was not feeling well and she was sleeping, he did not want to wake her. Instead of silence, Ren heard sobs. He knocked twice, firmly, before easing the door open a crack.

"Mogami-san?" He heard a little gasp as he peered into the semi-darkness. The curtains were closed and the lights were off. In the dimness of the room, he spotted her, kneeling on the floor hunched over, cradling something in her hands and staring at him with wide eyes, a few stray tears still sliding down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. The owners told me I should see you. Are you alright?"

Rather than give her an opportunity to throw him out, he knelt down next to her, wiping one of the tears away and hoping that he did not seem too intrusive. She seemed a bit shaken still, but she took a deep breath and held out her hands to him, showing a pile of broken glass glowing a muddy gold. It did not take Ren long to figure out what it was.

"I didn't realize I had let him get so important to me," she whispered, still cradling the pieces. "I didn't think it was this bad. I thought I was going to be okay. That the sadness would stop. But when it didn't get better I decided to check and see what had happened and…"

Ren sat quietly next to her, trying to justify being a part of this very personal experience. He could appreciate the significance of her trauma. A broken heart was a heavy burden to carry. His was only damaged and he had long ago given up on experiencing any significant joys in life. He was not sure how best to comfort her.

He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her gently against his side. She stiffened and tried to pull away, but he held her firmly in place. He slid his free hand under her own and closed her fingers over the pieces.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "This is pathetic. You shouldn't have to put up with this."

"I don't mind," he answered.

"You're too nice to me," she grumbled. "I don't deserve it. You shouldn't have to do this."

"Didn't I tell you to ask me for help if you ever needed anything?"

"I don't think you were thinking of taking care of something like this," she retorted. "It really doesn't have anything to do with you."

He knew that. She did not have to say it. But he kept holding her until the taisho came to remind Ren that he still had work, a cleaver in the chef's hand.

~…~

"**How did you get his number?**" Kuon demanded. "**I already told you I don't want-**"

"**Then hang up,**" was the tired reply. "**I had to call in some major favors to manage this, just so you know. There's no reason for you to stay so isolated. It's not like you're in the public spotlight or anything. You can afford to call us from time to time.**"

"**I told you, I want to forget it all. It's nothing personal, I just-**"

"**But Kuoooon!**" How did a grown man whine like that? "**How are you ever going to introduce your girlfriend to us for approval if you don't tell her who you are?**"

"**Dad, I'm not dating anyone. It isn't an issue.**"

"**But what about that girl? The one Boss mentioned?**"

"**He was being stupid. There isn't a girl. I'm not seeing anyone.**"

"**So who's Kyoko?**" He was going to kill Lory. That man was way too busy with other people's business.

"**A waitress. My senpai visits the same café frequently and is always served by the same girl.**"

"**I thought she worked at a Japanese restaurant.**"

"**What has he told you?**" Kuon grumbled, rubbing his face and trying not to curse Yashiro and Lory into a fiery abyss. "**Because I am seriously not seeing anyone right now.**"

"**Nothing! No one tells me anything. Is she pretty?**"

"**She's female. She's underage. Does it matter?**"

"**She's really sixteen? I thought he was joking about that.**"

"_**Dad**_**.**"

"I'm sorry Tsuruga-san! I didn't mean to keep you waiting!"

"**Who's that?**" Kuu demanded, excitement coloring his tone.

"**No one, I'm busy, I'll talk to you later,**" Kuon answered quickly before hanging up. He had been waiting outside a train station to meet with Kyoko when his phone had rung and he had picked up instinctively, thinking it might be her. "Hello Mogami-san. It's alright. I haven't been here very long."

"You were on the phone. And you looked angry!"

"That was someone else," he told her soothingly. "Someone called my work phone on personal business. I've told them not to."

"Oh, I see. Then, shall we get going?"

"Yes. Thank you for helping me, by the way. I'm not really an expert on young girls and Maria-chan is my company president's granddaughter. I would hate to get her a bad present."

"Is he really holding a companywide birthday celebration for her?"

"For her getting through two months with the same at home tutor, actually. Her birthday is December twenty-forth. He just wants an excuse to party, really."

"The twenty-forth?"

"Yes. But she doesn't like to celebrate it anymore. Her mother died that day in a plane crash."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"Oh no! I was just thinking it was a little sad. I've always loved Christmas because my birthday is the twenty-fifth, and it would be sad to have the whole season ruined because of something so sad." Ren tucked away this piece of information for later use and considered what she had said.

"It is kind of sad. I don't think it helps that she doesn't have a good relationship with her father anymore because right after the accident he blamed it on his daughter and she never really forgot that."

"It's hard being alone," Kyoko agreed sadly. Ren's hand twitched but he kept it at his side.

"You aren't alone," he said calmly, smiling reassuringly as she looked up at him. "You have your landlords who take very good care of you. And I'm here, aren't I?"

It was worth the stomach churning at his corny lines to see her smile.

~…~

"Thank you again for your help," Ren said as he took another bite of food under Kyoko's critical eye. "I think Maria will like the present."

"I'm still not sure about it. That brand is really expensive, even though the ribbon is really cute. And just because _I _thought it was cute-"

"Maria dresses in a style that will match this very well. I'm sure she'll love it."

"Well, that's fine. But it didn't really seem like you needed my help," Kyoko noted worriedly. "You seemed to have a pretty good idea of what she wanted." Ren gave her a sardonic smile.

"Yes. But if I had walked into any of those stores alone, I would have mutilated my manly pride." Kyoko giggled.

"I suppose that would be bad," she smiled. "And it was a lot of fun. I've never been to most of those stores before. They don't exactly fit my budget. And it's not like I'll ever really hold a very good job at this rate…"

"Did you drop out of high school? I thought I understood from Yashiro that you had."

"Yes. I didn't think it would be a problem at the time. I thought things were going to work themselves out and I wouldn't need to hold a job for the rest of my life." She paused then, frowning. "No. That isn't true. I thought then that I would still go back. I thought that after he had accomplished his dream he would go back to his parents and we would take over their business. He could still have been a musician; I was the one who really knew how to run the place." Ren sat in silence as her face darkened, waiting for a further explanation. When none was forthcoming he reached across the table and touched her hand, startling her. "Sorry. I was drifting off there."

"That's alright. Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes. Sorry. It's just…" She drew her hand out from his and placed it elegantly on her lap. It struck him again how precise and sophisticated she could be so unconsciously. "I was raised by a family that owned a ryoukan and grew up hoping I would marry the son. I think his parents expected that as well because they trained me in all the practices I would have needed to know to take over someday. I even learned the tea ceremony." Ren raised his brows.

"That's impressive. Can you still do it?"

"Oh yes. It's not something that is easy to forget once you really learn it. But the truth is the only skills I have are the ones I learned there. It means that I can work at the Darumaya, but unless I were to try and marry into some other family-run ryoukan, I can't really use the skills I have."

"Why not? I would imagine there are dozens of practical applications for those kinds of skills, particularly in high-class restaurants and hotels. In a place like Tokyo with so many foreigners who want to experience an authentic Japanese culture you could probably find a position in dozens of places."

"Not without official training and recommendations. And while it would not take me very long to get through training and have some kind of recommendation, I don't have enough money to go to high school, much less a specialty school."

Ren pondered this. He was hardly an expert on Japan, in spite of all his training, lessons from his father, and the several years that he had lived here. But it seemed silly that she could not find a job anywhere. Especially since even he had found a job in Japan.

"Have you tried contacting the family you used to live with? They could recommend you, couldn't they?"

"Sho cut all ties with his parents when they signed the papers for his contract with Akatoki. They invited me back then since he had a job finally, but I said I would stay until he was making enough money to support himself. I haven't heard from them since."

"Do you think it would be useless to try and reach them now?"

"It's more like I wouldn't know what to say," she admitted with a shaky laugh. "I mean, they figured since I was living with Sho things had gotten serious between us, and I don't know what they would say if I approached them now."

"I see."

~…~

"Ask, Ren."

"It's not pertinent to the meeting, sir."

"You've been opening your mouth to ask me a question every two minutes since you came in here. Ask."

"Is it about Kyoko?" Yashiro demanded. Ren sighed. There was nothing he could do to convince his senpai that the golden-eyed girl was not the only thing he thought about. Not that he did not think of her often…

"I was just wondering…" How did you ask your boss who had more or less saved your life and you were incredibly indebted to that you needed his help finding employment for the girl you liked but still only really barely knew and were not dating.

"We don't have all day, Ren," Lory sighed, relaxing back in his chair. "What does Kyoko-san need?" Ren glared.

"I didn't say anything about Mogami-san."

"You would rather die than ask me for something for yourself. Seriously, what is it?"

"What kind of job could a girl get if she had classic Japanese training but no technical credentials to practice?" Lory blinked in surprise.

"That would honestly depend on who she knew and why she wasn't already married off to someone who needed those skills in a wife. And how good she was."

"She only knows me, Yashiro, and her employers and doesn't have the money on hand to get official training. And she would probably loath me if I tried to pay for her training for her."

"Does she need a job that badly? You said she's employed."

"Her living expenses were more than halved when she moved out her last apartment, but she still has to work three part time jobs to keep up with cost of living here. Her landlords are her employers, but she isn't the kind of person to take advantage of that, even though I think they practically consider her to be family."

"She's underage and a high school dropout, right? That might complicate things."

"I just think she should have a chance to do something for herself. I think it would encourage her."

~…~

"You got me an interview?" Kyoko asked in an almost scandalized tone. "I didn't ask you to do that!"

"I didn't get you an interview. My company president is ridiculous and wealthy-"

"I think you mean ridiculously wealthy."

"No. Anyway, he has a habit of spending his excess money on elaborate costumes from various times and places and training an entourage to follow him around to make the atmosphere authentic. He knows people, and has some experience with your skills. He wants you to come and demonstrate the tea ceremony to him and see if he could use you at a particular business meeting. If you did that and it worked out, he would consider recommending you to some other people that he knows. It may go nowhere, but he needs someone to do this anyway and Yashiro and I both know you and thought you might be interested."

"How would he test me?"

"I think he plans on using his granddaughter and a few other close friends as the guests, and you would be at his home. The official meeting will take place at the office, but he says he already has a room stashed away somewhere on one of the floors that will work."

She considered for a few moments before accepting the offer.

"After all, it can't hurt," she told him. "You really did have to do this for me, though."

"I know."

~…~

"Onee-sama was really amazing," Maria smiled, startling her grandfather. "Are you going to invite her over to play again?"

"Mogami-kun? Did you like her?"

"Yes! She was really nice while we were having tea and we had a good talk about irresponsible parents afterwards when you were saying goodbye to people."

"Really?" Lory had not expected this added benefit from getting to know Ren's crush. She had been an excellent hostess and he had thought her an adorable and suitable companion for the boy Lory had known for twenty years. "Well, maybe we should invite her over again some time."

"Yes!"

~…~

"…And then I'll get to teach a couple more people the tea ceremony this weekend for a movie they are prepping for. Most of the jobs only have me working for a day, but they pay really well and it's kind of fun," Kyoko rattled on in the seat next to Ren. He listened in silent amusement. "And Maria and I had lots of fun again today. I think we're both really improving at the doll making, though Maria thinks mine are better. And Takarada-shachou says that I can come by again next week to work on my online classes while Maria is studying."

"Sounds like you have a full schedule."

"Yes. Thank you so much for taking time to drive me home. I know that Takarada-shachou has drivers, but his cars are so, so…"

"Embarrassing," Ren supplied. She smiled sheepishly and nodded. "I know. I don't mind. Between both our schedules we don't have as much time together anymore."

The comment went straight over her head.

"Are you not eating lunch again? You can't keep skipping meals! You're too big to eat so little."

"I eat plenty."

"Processed foods and packaged rice! Space food! You have to cook sometimes. Vegetables and meat!"

"But I can't cook." There was a stunned silence.

"At all?"

"For the most part. I can make Maui omurice." She gave him a blank look.

"That isn't real food," she accused.

"My father would agree with you."

~…~

"Are you sure you don't want seconds?"

"Mogami-san, I told you already, I don't need to eat very much. You should know this by now."

"Well, I just keep hoping if you eat regularly enough you'll develop a normal appetite again. How many times have I cooked for you now?"

"A couple dozen. I'm sorry to keep you out so late."

"It's fine. You're a really big help with my English homework. And I like cooking."

"That's good." He watched her for a few minutes as she collected the dishes. They would clean them together later, before he drove her home, before eleven as per the taisho's orders. There was a kind of pattern to his life now that included a person who was not a work associate or his parents. And as much as he knew he needed to take things slowly and carefully with this girl, he still found himself planning on adding Kyoko to his life as a permanent fixture that he could claim as his and his alone. "How are you feeling?"

It was a normal question. He asked from time to time, grateful when she answered honestly and confided in him and as patient as he could be when she was less honest and less open.

"A little worried. I feel happy most of the time, but I feel like there's still something I'm missing." She hesitated. "I'm… trying to put it back together. Piece by piece. I guess I'm hoping that someday I can try again, and maybe get it right this time."

"You deserve that." The answering look was sad and a little scared.

"Are you sure?"

~…~

"**So, how are things going with Kyoko?**"

"**Mom, I agreed to talk to you on the condition that we did **_**not**_** discuss my non-existent love life. Or me coming back.**"

"**I know. But I had to ask. Your father is debating whether or not to have her investigated since you won't tell us anything about her.**"

"**Do me a favor and tell him to knock it off? She does not need a stalker on top of everything else.**"

"**Is she really having a hard time?**" This was the problem with talking to his mother. She had her crazy parent moments, but she was more likely to press and dig and make him say stuff that was cheesy and personal.

"**She's recovering. There was another guy and he really messed her up. He never touched her, he just…**"

"**Led her on?**"

"**I don't know. That's what it sounded like to me, but she keeps saying it was her fault. I say he was a loser and didn't appreciate her.**"

"**Is she pretty?**" Ren took a slow breath, considering that question. Did he find her attractive to the point of distraction? Oh yes. Was she cute? Undoubtedly. Was she like any of the other girls he had dated that his mother knew about? Not at all.

"**She's very normal looking,**" he started slowly. "**Very traditional kind of Japanese girl. She might be a bit on the slender side, but really, just normal. So yeah, I would say pretty. Most girls are pretty.**"

"_**Kuon…**_" He remembered that tone. It was a very compelling tone after all. It had promised shopping trips like things out of horror stories if he did not shape up _right now_.

"**It's hard to explain,**" he hedged. "**She really is just normal looking. I can't really compare her to you or anything. But…**"

"**But?**"

"**She has these faces…**" And just like that, he knew his mother understood. He heard a little chuckled and could imagine the exact look on her face, the look of amusement that she had used to have all the time when he was a child and discovering the world for the first time. She knew what he was saying, even if he could not say it.

"**She's the most beautiful woman in the world, isn't she?**"

"**Well, next to you, yes.**" There was a giggle from the other side of the line. "**I'm sorry I haven't been back, Mom.**"

"**It's alright. You're still getting yourself grounded. But would it kill you to call a little more often?**"

"**Well, the problem isn't if you pick up…**" There was an exasperated sigh.

"**Your father. Well, I was the one that married him. That isn't your fault.**"

"**And you love him.**"

"**I do. And I know that you do too. And I know it must be hard to forgive us-**"

"**Forgive **_**you**_**? Why do you need to be forgiven? I was the screw up!**"

"**Kuon… All of us were at fault. Your father and I chose our careers over taking care of you. We had already isolated you from so many people. Even with Rick-**" But she did not continue. The atmosphere was suddenly too tense for both of them. "**I'll tell your father you called. Take care, Kuon. I love you.**"

"**I love you too, Mom.**"

"**Give Kyoko a kiss for me!**"

"**Mom!**"

~…~

"You dyed your hair!"

"I just wanted to try something different, more modern," Kyoko said anxiously, looking down at the floor. "See if it changed anything." Ren exchanged a glance with the taisho, who looked as disappointed as Ren felt.

"But your long hair looked so nice," he pointed out, trying not to sound offended.

"I can always grow it out again," she growled defensively. "It's just hair!"

Ren sighed, not wanting to fight with her over this. He dyed his own hair, right? "It looks good," he told her. "I was just surprised."

"That was the point," she answered. "I wanted to change."

He spent the rest of his lunch trying to figure out how to tell her that changing her hair would not help her change herself without giving himself away.

~…~

"What's that?" Kyoko shrieked and jumped forward, nearly slamming into the counter. She had been taking a while cooking dinner and Ren was curious what she was up to. A small, floppy object fell onto the floor and Ren only got a brief glimpse of it before she had snatched it back up.

"Nothing! It's nothing!"

But Ren had seen just enough. "Was that a doll of me?"

"No!"

They did not get much done that night before he had to take her home. He was having too much fun teasing her.

~…~

Something was wrong. She was too quiet. Too subdued. Her eyes kept drifting away from him, towards the floor, the ceiling, the window. She was not even scolding him! He did not think it was possible.

"Mogami-san?"

"Oh! I'm sorry. You were saying this sentence was wrong?"

"No. I was saying that you've put a line through the whole paper letting your hand slide like that."

"Eh? Eh!" She scrambled about looking for her eraser. He held it in front of her face, watching in amusement as she started and grabbed it from his hands, almost scorching the paper in her frenzied efforts to remove the mark. In the process, she managed to remove most of the work she had done as well. "There!"

"You have a very clean piece of paper," he agreed calmly. "Almost like you never used it at all." A look of absolute horror and chagrin came then, despair leaking from her in thick, black tendrils. It was almost cute, he thought.

"What have I dooooone!" Her hands clutched desperately at her hair and came perilously close to tearing out large chunks. He decided it was time to intervene.

"It's alright, Mogami-san. Since it will just be a review this time, we can go through them all again and see if you can get them right this time."

"But… it's so late!"

"Call you landlords and tell them you'll be here late. Explain what happened. I'm sure they'll understand."

"But I can't have you drive me home so late. We might crash."

"You got in a car with me when I was so delirious with fever I couldn't even remember bringing you with me the next day. I think we'll be fine. And if you're really worried about it, you can always use the guest room again."

"Are… are you sure?"

"Of course. It isn't any trouble." Aside from him trying to ignore the fact that she would be sleeping and vulnerable down the hall from his own room. But she did not need to worry about that. It was his problem, and he would not make it hers.

After she had gained a very reluctant permission from the taisho to stay the night if it got too late, they went back to working on the homework. He could tell she was struggling to concentrate, but simply went slowly and helped her through the parts she could not seem to concentrate on. When they were finally finished she leaned back and let out a long sigh.

"You're really good with English," she complained. "It's almost scary."

"I've had lots of practice," he hedged. "How are you feeling?"

The silence was long and Ren began to really worry as he watched her face drain slowly of all emotion. She held up her hand, and showed him stoically a shimmering piece of glass, heart shaped, cracked, and glowing a soft gold.

"I put the pieces back together, but in the end it still just looks like this. No matter what I do it's defective. If I'm not careful with it, it falls to pieces again. I think-" She swallowed, closing her eyes as a tear escaped. "I think I should just throw it away."

"Throw it away?" Ren was stunned. That was her heart. Her feelings and happiness. All of _his_ hope for the future. "Mogami-san, you can't!"

"It's not like I really use it. Even when it was all broken I've been able to get along with Maria and with you. I can be happy without this. And it's not like anyone would take it while it's like this."

But he would. He would do anything for that broken heart. He would give up anything for it. For her.

"You can't be sure of that. You have your whole life left. Anything could happen. Do you really think that you'll never fall in love again?"

"I don't know," she answered slowly. "But even if I do fall in love, I can't offer someone a heart like this. It wouldn't be right."

"He might not care," Ren suggested, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice. "And this isn't something that you can go back on. You can't change your mind later and magic up a new heart."

Well, I'm still thinking about it," she admitted. "I just… I don't think I can handle being hurt like this again."

~…~

Ren placed a blanket over Kyoko's shoulders and tried to shift her so that she would not have a crick in her neck when she awoke. This was made doubly difficult by the hand she had draped on the table, still holding the fragmented, fractured heart she had been staring at for the past several hours. Kyoko had reached no conclusion to her predicament and had fallen asleep staring at the thing not too long ago. Rather than moving her and disrupting the delicate heart, Ren decided to cover her and make up a bed for himself on the floor next to her. After all, it would be rude to sleep in comfort while his guest was still at his coffee table.

With all the lights out the heart's glow was brighter than before, winking at him as he tried to find a comfortable place on the floor. It reminded him of the nights he had spent in the living room when his parents were gone, sleeping under the protective glow of their love until he finally drifted off to sleep.

She could not get rid of it. That much was certain. No matter how badly she wanted to stay safe, she could not give up her whole life for this. Ren- Kuon- whoever he chose to be, wanted that heart and would give anything for it. Anything.

And that, he realized, was the answer.

After all, there was only one thing that a person was really expected to give when they took someone else's heart.

With a brief thought Kuon found himself looking down at his own battered heart, glowing slightly less brightly in the dimness. It was whole, but nicks and chinks covered the surface, giving it a pockmarked look. He winced at it, realizing what he was offering was not really any better than what she had. But if he could protect her, then he would do this.

Biting his lip, he tightened his hand around the delicate object, swallowing a scream as it buckled and shattered in his palm. He put the pieces together as quickly as he could, ignoring the tears on his face and the burning sensation in his chest. Then came the tricky part. With the utmost care he slid his fingers under Kyoko's heart and lifted it as gently as he could, dropping his own heart onto her palm. It took more effort to absorb her heart than it would have his own, but he managed it.

A feeling of contentment settled over him. There was still pain, but it was slowly being eased. He drifted off to sleep with the happy thought that even if she never loved him and even if she threw his heart away, he would be able to let her be happy. For now, that would have to be enough.

~…~

Kyoko woke when her arm started complaining that it was not getting any blood. She was jolted from a very awkward dream where she had fallen down in Ren's kitchen and he had caught her in a very uncomfortable and intimate manner. Thankfully, her protesting arm had woken her up before he had actually kissed her.

Her suddenly movement sent the heart in her palm skittering across the table, losing tiny pieces as it went. She gasped and scrambled to collect them all, holding them between her palms and forcing them back together as best as she could. When she had finally fixed it, she sat looking at it for a moment, suspended between her hands. She sighed with despair as portions started breaking off the edges. She would have to fix that in the morning. She was too tired to try again tonight.

The sound of light snoring startled her and she looked down to see her host on the floor nearby, curled up under what must have been the comforter from off of his bed. She realized there was yet another blanket around her own shoulders.

"He was protecting it," she realized slowly as she pondered over this strange behavior. For the sake of this broken, useless object he had stayed by her side and taken care of her. She was not quite sure why he had not bothered to wake her, which would have been the smartest option. But his misguided sweetness made her smile softly, then wince and shake her head.

Looking down at the shattered thing in her hand Kyoko felt a pang of guilt. She did not really want to throw it away. Not yet. Maybe?

Well, she could always change her mind later, right? With a frown and an unusual amount of effort, Kyoko called the heart back, shivering with unexpected delight as its abnormally heavy weight settled inside of her. Beside her, Ren stirred in his sleep, but she did not notice. She felt calm, peaceful, light – like something solid gold was shimmering inside of her.

Maybe she could keep it for a little longer…

* * *

_And end chapter six. Super thanks to Will who has had to put up with all kinds of crazy as I tried to get this chapter out. And thanks to all the reviewers who have taken time and commented. Your thoughts are appreciated. There is still an open invitation for people to make suggestions of plots they would eventually like to see. If you have ideas for particular chapters, just let me know. I'll do my best to work things in._

_Also, as an important note, Will and I will both be very busy during November working on our NaNoWriMo stories. National Novel Writing Month is a program where aspiring authors take the month of November and complete the first draft (at least 50,000 words) of a novel. This means both of us will be very busy and more crazy than normal. In spite of this insanity and overwhelming burden, we would like to encourage all aspiring authors among our readers to take part in the event. There is an official website for those who really want to try it and want the support of an online community that is suffering through the experience with them. To all those who take up the challenge, good luck!  
_


	7. Propaganda

_An example of the perfect ironies of life is that when I am not busy scrambling to write a novel within a month, I can't seem to use my free time to post chapters of the story I am supposed to be working on. But as soon as I have a novel to write, I am consistently distracted by my fanfiction. So, surprise chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy it. Picture link below. If it doesn't work, I'm very sorry._

http:/i. ytimg. com/vi/rENa2AobQuY/0. jpg

* * *

_**Vol 1 Back Cover**_

Ishibashi Hikaru blinked in surprise as he stared at the sight in front of him. He really thought that he had understood her, but clearly he had been wrong.

The large, floppy poster was hanging over her head, but the shock of her bleached hair and the perfect posture she was standing with were telltale signs that it had to be her. He watched for several minutes as she fought with the poster, forcing it onto the side of the building. He thought he saw dark swirls holding it in place from time to time as she pasted it up on the yellow bricks. It did not take him long to recognize the face on the poster. He remembered all of the people that they had had on their variety show after all, and Fuwa Sho had been something else.

He was also the reason that the very cute girl who had substituted for Bo that night was still working with them. So why was she hanging a poster of him with "warui otoko*" written on it?

She gave a strangely maniacal cackled as she smoothed the last wrinkle out of the poster. Why she had stuck it to the back of the building where Fuwa worked, Hikaru had no idea. But this girl standing here was very strange to him. He did not see "Kyoko-chan" as the kind of girl who would wear a blue jacket with "urami**" written harshly on the back and the sleeves.

"Kyoko-chan?" he called out uncertainly. She twisted to look at him, her hand still pressed against the poster, holding it in place. The look on her face was completely foreign to him, distaste laced with contempt and bitterness. Then she noticed him and started, glancing around anxiously.

"Hello, Hikaru-san! What are you doing here?" Her movements were slightly jerky.

"I was just… going to meet up with the others. That poster…" But he could not quite ask. Her face changed again, becoming a little sad and frightened.

"Do you think you could forget you saw me here?" she asked, peeping up at him from under her lashes, her lip thrust out slightly in a pout. It was not the face she had made that day at the bottom of the stairwell, which he had later dubbed her Natsu-look when he had started watching Box-R, but the effect was just as manipulative. Maybe worse. Where had she learned that look?

"Um, like… another secret?" This smile was Natsu's.

"Just between us," she breathed as she stepped past him, tugging a bit of his hair. And then, she was just gone, like she had never been there.

Looking back up at the poster, Hikaru noticed that it seemed to be oozing some sort of malevolent aura. He felt his gut twist in uncomfortable ways as he stared at the picture and then at the words on it. They seemed to be handwritten and he was having a hard time picturing a Kyoko so furious that she would write something with that much hatred in it.

Hikaru swallowed slowly, wondering how many other personalities Kyoko-chan had. He was not sure he could handle them all.

* * *

*The kanji on the poster are read this way, and essentially mean "bad man."

**Kanji reading again. Means "grudge."

_Short. Sorry about that. I hope you liked it. Thanks to Will for taking time out of her own WriMo to edit this._


	8. Rose Colored Lenses

_Since my NaNoWriMo characters have gone on strike, I figured I'd post the next chapter for this collection. I hope that you can enjoy it. Standard disclaimers apply, and if you want a link to the cover picture, remove the spaces using your logic._

http:/eatmanga. com/index. php/Manga-Scan/Skip-Beat/Skip-Beat-006/002. jpg?action=big&size=original

* * *

_**Vol 2 Cover plus Act 6**_

It was spring.

You could tell because there was that slight chilly nip in the air which prompted Kyoko to wear a light, orange jacket over her thin white shirt. She loved the shirt. She had bought it on a shopping trip with Moko-san and it was just classy enough that she could imagine herself as a rich young lady every time she wore it. The ruffle along the v-shaped neckline and the ruffled choker that tied with a thin ribbon added what she considered to be a perfect elegance to the ensemble.

Ren just thought that she looked beautiful.

"What are we doing here?" he asked, taking her hand to help her out of the car. She gave him a grateful smile.

"I told you, it's a surprise," she answered. "Now hurry."

She started forward, walking quickly with her hands clasped behind her back to discourage her from reaching out to him. She recognized the danger of how Tsuruga Ren sometimes made her feel, but she was a determined girl. Life was as simple as mind over matter. As long as she did not reach out for him she would conquer these feelings and would never have to suffer the pain of rejection.

Ren just wanted to hold her.

"Mogami-san, you said this was important. But I'm still confused. What are we doing at a park?"

"It's a surprise," she hedged again. "You'll see when we get there."

"Alright. But then can you at least tell me why it's just the two of us?" Kyoko repressed a grimace at the possible misunderstanding a normal girl might have had if Tsuruga-san had said something like that to her using that particular tone.

"Yashiro-san deserves a break," she replied sweetly. "And Moko-san was against the whole idea, so I decided it would be better if she didn't come. And Maria was busy with her studies."

"Oh. It was supposed to be a group activity." She was confused as to why he was smiling his gentlemanly smile. He did not seem angry _per se_, just… disappointed? Really, if that man was not careful he was going to deceive all the girls in Japan into thinking that he was interested in them. Kyoko knew better than to assume that, but she thought Tsuruga-san would have more sense since in these matters given that he had never had any bad gossip about him. He was Japan's Number One Bachelor. He belonged to all women.

Ren just wanted her all for himself.

They wandered around a garden in the park for a while, Kyoko gushing over the blooming flowers. She gave particular praise to the roses that they found. Ren laughed at her antics and plucked a bloom, tucking it behind her ear. Fighting embarrassment and pleasure, Kyoko scolded him for mutilating the plants and for picking a blossom that clashed horribly with her outfit. Ren ignored her protests and eventually they petered out.

"We should go to the Kusabue no Oke Rose Garden," he commented. Kyoko winced.

"It's too far," she complained. "It would take to long to get there, and it would be too expensive a trip."

"We could plan a day trip," he answered. She fought back her passionate desire to accept his offer with all of her force of will. He was _not_ asking her out on a d-da- _anything_, and she was not at all happy about the attention, and she did not immediately draw his attention to something else so that he would be distracted and forget he had said anything.

Ren just wanted spoil her.

"Are you hungry?" he asked as an hour passed and lunchtime rolled around. They had walked a full circuit of the park several times, having fun hiding in bushes and behind trees as they almost ran into other people. Kyoko had worked up a little color and was a little breathless.

"A little," she admitted. "But I don't really want to go inside just yet. It's too nice out." She started shrugging out of her jacket as she said this, letting it fall down around her elbows before she got distracted by the cool breeze ruffling through the pink blossoms in the tree and smiled brightly. "Isn't it wonderful?"

"Yes."

He really should not smile like that. A girl could get delusions if he did that too often. Especially after Dark Moon, when he always used that smile on Mizuki. Kyoko did _not_ believe that the smile he gave her was just a bit softer, or more wistful. She knew that it was not so. She was still a rational human being and had complete control over herself.

Ren just wanted her to smile at him like it meant something.

"This is good," Kyoko stated, shoving another bite into her mouth.

They were eating at a small restaurant, hoping that no one would believe it was Ren having lunch there, even if he was recognized. He insisted on paying and Kyoko was too anxious to argue for very long.

"I'm glad you like it. I'm just sorry about the stares," he apologized.

"Oh, that always happens when I'm with you. After our assignment together especially I'm used to it. You're just very eye catching. And easy to look at."

This thought amused her a great deal. Here she was, a plain and boring girl, eating lunch with the best looking man in the room. She wondered what people thought about them as they sat and ate this plain and boring food. Tsuruga-san certainly seemed out of place. But Kyoko was a simple girl and enjoyed the simple pleasure of eating food she had not had to cook. It did not taste half bad. She wished she could compliment the chef.

Ren just wondered what her smile tasted like.

"Mogami-san."

"Yes?"

"We've had lunch and visited three parks in the city. While I enjoyed looking at all the flowers, it's almost dinnertime. What's the surprise?"

"You'll see," was her only answer, pulling him by the sleeve towards a relatively secluded spot where no one would necessarily recognize them if they were spotted, but not so secluded that it seemed too romantic. "Here," she said, collapsing onto the ground and waiting for him to join her, surprised when he dropped his own jacket over her before he sat. "Tsuruga-san, I already-"

"You looked cold," he explained, cutting off any protests. She opened her mouth to try and object again but he leaned closer and she jerked back, startled by the sudden action. Her heart had leapt into her mouth and stuck there, stopping any argument she was planning on using. In fact, her whole mind seemed to have gone blank. She pushed the panic back and prayed he would not pull a stunt like that again. She might give herself away.

Ren just wished she was not afraid of him.

"Sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"N-no. I'm fine," she stammered, pinching herself to regain control. This was ridiculous.

"So, what are we doing here?" Ren asked again, noting the rather isolated location. Kyoko blushed slightly.

"Well, I thought if you wanted to lose your temper, it would be better if other people weren't around." Ren blinked in surprise.

"Why would I lose my temper?" he asked, trying to sort through all the things that could anger him that did not frighten or threaten Kyoko in any way. The list was rather short.

"Well, there isn't a surprise. I lied."

"What?"

"I- I thought that you seemed really tired from all your work, so I asked Yashiro if he could clear some of your schedule so that you could have a day off. He really agreed that you needed a break and got the president on board to help. But they left me in charge of the plans. Since I didn't think you got to stop and enjoy things very much since you're so busy, I thought we could just enjoy the nice weather and all the new flowers."

"That's… it?"

"Yes."

She looked up at him sheepishly, hoping he was not too angry. He seemed to be stuck on astonished, and Kyoko thought that particular face was cu- interesting. She babbled on a bit more, about how she had been worried and had not wanted to inconvenience him, but had wanted to help somehow. Her frantic and garbled words did not seem to have much effect on him, but he did not seem to be getting angry. He was starting to smile that heavenly smile again. Kyoko wished that she knew her heart was safe from it.

Ren just wished she would think about him forever.

* * *

_And end chapter eight. Very... light. I hope that it was fun._

_Thanks to all of my reviewers. And to Will, who is still suffering through November with me.  
_


	9. Final Fantasy

_I own nothing. And this is pure drivel. Enjoy. Hopefully, you know how to use the links now._

http:/browse. deviantart. com/?qh=§ion=&q=Tsuruga+Ren+18#/d20i965

* * *

_**Vol 2 Inside Cover**_

Matsunai Ruriko was worried. Panicked, really. Her week had started out beautifully. She had crushed the hyena LoveMe member under her foot and had managed to make it up to the location without ruining her complexion. Everyone had been excited that she had arrived and was anxiously awaiting her.

Except for Tsuruga Ren.

He had carried _that thing_ in his arms -like a princess!- and had not even bothered to come and see her –_her_, Matsunai Ruriko!- since she had arrived. It was more than a girl could handle. It was a relief that the demon was finally gone. But her presence hung around the set, haunting Ruriko.

"Tsuruga-san, we need you on set!" one of the crew called. He smiled and acknowledged the summons, glancing back at his manager as the bespectacled man informed Ren that they would be heading back into town that afternoon for one of Ren's other projects.

"It's annoying, but they need to reshoot the one scene, and they're willing to meet us halfway since they know you're on location."

"Alright, I know."

"Ruriko-chan, we need you over here," someone else called, reclaiming Ruriko's attention. She smiled and gave as polite a response as she could, hurrying over in an awkward shuffle, inwardly cursing the tightly wrapped kimono that she still had not quite adjusted to. She could walk in it just fine for scenes, but trying to rush was always a challenge.

And Ren had not once held her hand or steadied her. It hurt a girl's pride. He had supported that LoveMe creep.

Ruriko shuddered at the thought of that, that _monster_. It was bad enough that the thing had taken up time with Ren, and made Ruriko look bad, and impressed the director. But she had also set this impossible standard that Ruriko never seemed to reach. The singer could see it in the director's eyes when he watched Ruriko moving. She could feel it from Ren as he took her more seriously than before, but not as seriously as he had taken that girl. She could feel it in the whispers of the crew, all commenting on the girl that had tamed LME's last big star.

It was terrifying. Ruriko felt cursed. Like at any moment that hyena could return and steal her job.

She finished her scene and waited with bated breath as the director reviewed it, asked her twice to redo one piece or another, and at the end accepted her work with a small sigh and a wistful look towards the horizon. She trembled as she saw that look in his eyes. He was thinking how much better it would be if he had chosen that… usurper instead of her.

"Good work, Ruriko-san," Ren told her as she stepped over to another part of the set, joining him. "You're doing much better today."

It was probably a good thing that the indirect comparison to Kyoko flew over her head. Instead, she felt relieved and basked in Ren's compliment. He walked over to the window and leaned against it, crossing his arms and letting his gaze wander as he waited for the cue to start. Ruriko sighed blissfully, admiring him blatantly, imagining a string of lilies growing down to finish framing him in the afternoon light. Her imagination drifted into a brilliant daydream in the middle of Tokyo at a small café, sitting outside and sharing a cheerful lunch. _He would order black coffee and listen attentively as she cheerfully explained to him about her very successful day at work. He would get just a little jealous when she told him about one of the staff flirting with her, but she would reassure him that he was her number one. She would have a light salad and nothing green would get stuck in her teeth-_

"Ruriko-san, we're starting," the director shouted from position. She snapped back to reality and bit back a retort, bowing instead and taking her place. As the scene progressed, she became so detached from herself that she started to drift again. _She was enjoying an afternoon stroll with him through a traditional garden, her walking perfectly in the narrow skirt of the kimono, him offering a hand to help her up some steps on a small bridge. They paused under a tree, staring at each other, caught up in the perfection of the moment. He brushed a strand of her hair back, she blushed sweetly.  
_

"Cut! That's good. Next scene."

_He arrived at her work with a surprise bouquet, making everyone else viciously jealous. Of course the flowers would only get in the way, but she accepted them gratefully, granting him a kiss on the cheek as a reward._

"Cut! Alright, let's do that again from the next angle."

_That hyena had given up on being an actress and was now Ruriko's personal gofer, sulking in the corner as Ruriko and Tsuruga-san enjoyed their sweet, ideal love story. The idiot would get to carry the flowers all day while Ruriko worked. She would go home to an empty apartment, unknown to the world. She would get old and grey all alone._

"Cut! That's good for now. Set up for scene ten." Ruriko sighed and drifted closer to her costar, glancing up at him bashfully.

"How was that?" He gave her a smile.

"Exactly as I thought," he answered. "You acted just as you were supposed to. Next time, you might even manage to get creative."

The tone was just condescending enough that she caught the mockery. But her now love-drunk mind turned the words into teasing flirtations. _Suddenly the man at her table was making her blush rosily, teasing her and licking a drop of dressing off of her finger. In the garden, he picked her up, laughing as she flushed and demanded that he put her down before someone saw them. When she kissed his cheek for the flowers, he slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her up against him, making her staff titter in embarrassment. The hyena could not even look at them, she was so humiliated and defeated._

"I'll do my best," she answered a bit breathlessly. He nodded carelessly and went to find his manager. The man gave him a water bottle and Ruriko watched in rapt attention as he drank and recapped the bottle. She would never be able to explain how he could make taking a drink of water look so captivating, but captivated she was.

"Things are going well today," the manager remarked. Ren nodded, his attention seeming to be elsewhere. Ruriko let herself imagine he was thinking of her.

"We caught up nicely," Director Shingai agreed, joining the conversation. "Even with those days that we lost. How is she doing by the way?"

"Kyoko-chan?" the manager asked. Ruriko felt a vein twitch. "She's doing fine. Right, Ren?"

"Yes. She got back down just fine, as far as I understand. Her injury should heal fairly quickly." Cool, crisp, professional. Distant. Ruriko liked his tone.

"I'm glad. I think I'll cast her as your leading lady in my next movie. She's got potential." When Ren smiled Ruriko felt her blood go cold.

"Well, if she's improved at all, it will be an excellent experience."

Suddenly, Ruriko was not the main character of her daydreams. _That girl was there, eating lunch elegantly, enduring his teasing and replying with wit and appeal. When he licked her hand, she kissed the spot, giving him a saucy look. They walked in the garden together, arm in arm, laughing gently and pausing to admire bunches of flowers. When he picked her up, she buried her face in his neck and stroked his hair. That hyena was the one receiving the flowers at a studio, rewarding him with a kiss on his cheek and leaning her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her, stroking her side. Ruriko was the one in the shadows. That girl looked over Ren's shoulder into the darkness and smirked._

"_I'll make you walk where no light shines on you."_

"And I'm sure working with Ruriko will be educational," Shingai added, Ruriko missing his teasing smirk as she snapped out of her visions.

"Well, it will certainly mean an opportunity to teach her things."

Ruriko's mental pictures almost imploded. _She and Ren were sitting on a bench under a moonlit sky. He was caressing her cheek softly and whispering something in her ear that made her shiver with delight. He placed kisses all over her face and pulled her closer, smiling tenderly as she looked up at him. His lips were about to brush hers and she felt her breath hitch as-_

"Ready for the next scene, Ruriko-chan?" Shingai called over to her, interrupting her happy daydream. "You'll need to try and guide this one more than the last few, since Ren's character is supposed to be tricked by you this time."

"I understand," she answered, trying to figure out how she was going to lead the man beside her when all she could imagine was him teaching her "things."

In spite of her distraction, it only took them a few tries to get things perfect. Of course Ren was flawless from the beginning. Ruriko kept getting distracted when he approached her on set, trying to press her character for information, but she pulled through.

"Good work," director Shingai said as they completed their last scene of the afternoon. "Ren, you're free to go now."

"Thank you," Ren answered, moving away from the set and nodding at Yashiro. Ruriko waited until everyone else had said their farewells before she bid him goodbye herself.

"Have a safe trip Tsuruga-san. We'll make sure to not waste time while you're gone."

"I hope so," he smiled at her, and she felt a bit of the blissful comfort leave her. "It would be sad to get back and find out you had gotten sloppy while I was away."

"Ren…" his manager sighed, glancing nervously at Ruriko. "She's been doing good work, right?"

"Yes. Much better than before. It seems much more like you have the kind of professionalism that your LoveMe escort showed when she was here."

With that he turned to leave. Ruriko was too stunned to manage a reply. In her mind, her final fantasy had been usurped by that female, the moonlit bench holding two lovers, intimately entwined and kissing passionately, while Ruriko watched from the shadows, unable to move under the combined weight of their overpowering auras.

* * *

_And end Ruriko's personal nightmare. Hope you had fun reading it. Thanks again to all of my reviewers and special thanks to Will who took a look at this when she had no free time of her own to speak of. Also, hooray for cheese-whiz and crackers to get a person through writer's block._


	10. Silver Screen Cinderella

_And after an unfair amount of time, I give you the next short. Link for your use. Please enjoy._

http:/eatmanga. com/Manga-Scan/Skip-Beat/Skip-Beat-007

* * *

_**Vol 2 Act 7**_

Kyoko stared at the man in front of her, blinking slowly. It was not every day that a man dressed like some sort of Western noble came in and ordered food at a fast food joint. Well, he had not actually ordered anything yet, but his very presence in the building was impossible. The rest of the staff had completely frozen, and even Kyoko's manager was staring in blank shock. The other customers were completely distracted, and one of them had even stopped in the middle of chewing and was staring with his mouth hanging open.

Kyoko decided it was time to intervene.

"Welcome to Moz Burger. I can take your order, sir." The mustachioed gentleman turned the full force of his gaze on her, looked her up and down briefly, and smiled broadly.

"Hello. Have you ever worked as an actress before?" he asked cheerfully, ignoring the line of people behind him and stepping closer to the counter, shadowed closely by a man in a servant's livery, a silent and stoic figure.

"_What kind of con is this guy trying to run?"_ Kyoko asked herself, her professional smile still in place. "No sir, I never have. Will this order be just for you, or for your… friends as well?" The small ensemble of courtesans behind him chatted and tittered, looking down their noses at the rest of the room. The man in front glanced behind him and laughed.

"No, just an order for me. A number one set with a small Coke. Have you ever considered acting? Or modeling? You have good posture and a good figure."

Now he was really starting to make her nervous. "A double cheeseburger with a small fry and a Coke? Will that be all?"

"Yes. You really should consider it, you know. Acting can be a very fulfilling profession. You learn about all sorts of things and get to experience being all kinds of people."

"Your total comes to seven hundred sixty yen. If you will wait over there we'll get your order right away."

"Thank you," he said, handing over his money and accepting the change. "If you'd like to try it, you can come to an audition I'm holding. I'm starting a new project and I need some models to advertise it. Just stop by the LME office building and tell the front desk that you want to try out for the LoveMe initiative. It's a come as you are project, and we'll have professional make-up artists on site."

That caught her attention. It must have showed on her face because the man's smile became something perilously close to a smirk. She regained her composure and smiled blandly.

"Thank you for your patronage. If you could wait over there?"

"Of course. If you have any trouble when you talk to the front desk, tell them that Lory recommended you. I look forward to seeing you there."

In a few more minutes he had collected his food and left. It took a full five minutes after that for everyone to fully recover their senses and continue with their business. The manager thanked Kyoko and sighed.

"Crazy people," he grumbled. "You did a good job with him. I'm sorry that he harassed you."

"It's no trouble," Kyoko answered. And it was true. The man, Lory, had seemed a little crazy, but he had been fairly polite. And he was no worse than the drunks that Kyoko had dealt with growing up and working at the Fuwa Ryokan. He had been odd, but not harmful. Kyoko had to admit that it was tempting to go, just for the novelty of getting dressed up and having her makeup done. But it still sounded like a scam…

~…~

"Sho-chan, have you heard of LME before?" Kyoko asked, dishing him up another serving of rice. Sho stared back at her, a disdainful look on his face.

"It's only one of the biggest companies in the entertainment industry. That pinhead actor works there. Geez, I thought you knew that."

"Oh," Kyoko said, surprised. She had a vague memory of Sho mentioning LME before, but in the six months they had been in Tokyo she had been so focused on his rising reputation that she had not yet paid too much attention to other things in the entertainment industry. Sho, of course, constantly brought up the name Tsuruga Ren as the man that he meant to completely defeat. But Kyoko had never really taken an interest in the actor.

"Here," Sho said, handing her a magazine he had been reading. "My manager gave me this today. She wanted to show me how my entering our agency had improved its popularity. You can see how I'm catching up to LME and the pinhead."

Kyoko gratefully accepted the magazine, eagerly turning the pages and devouring the small segment of the article dedicated to Sho and Akatoki Agency. The article featured a large picture of the infamous Tsuruga Ren as well, and Kyoko glanced at it briefly, her interest piqued. She glanced through the comments on LME, noting that the praise of the company was couched in lamentations on its eccentric president. Well, if this Takarada hired people like the Lory Kyoko had met that day, he was definitely eccentric.

"Sho."

"Hmm?"

"Do you think… I could be a model?" He gaped for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"You? A model? Kyoko, they have requirements for people who want to stand in front of cameras." Kyoko bristled a little.

"Someone today at work said that I had a nice figure," she mumbled, cutting Sho off. He frowned.

"Who said that?" he demanded.

"Just… a customer. No one special. Anyway, why couldn't I be a model? If someone were to do my makeup and dress me up nice, don't you think I could do it?"

"Well, you might look alright, but that doesn't mean you would be ready to be a model. Stars require a certain quality that attracts people. You're just… Kyoko."

"I guess," she sighed, her fingers sliding across the page, her gaze falling back on the picture of Tsuruga Ren. He was certainly attractive, in a not-as-handsome-as-Sho sort of way. And even his picture seemed full of charisma. Why did someone like her presume to aspire to a position like his? He was not as amazing as Sho, but still, if she could not reach that level, why did she think that she should try out for that LoveMe project?

And who in their right mind would try out for such a thing?

"Honestly, you're best where you are," Sho said, stretching out and grabbing the remote to turn on the television and watch an interview he had done earlier that day. "It's not like you're Cinderella or anything like that. What good would come of you trying to become a model?"

~…~

There was a large sign on the front of the building, black with hot pink and bright yellow letters declaring that the agency was accepting applicants for the LoveMe initiative. This, Kyoko decided, was proof that either the whole world was crazy, or this was not a hoax. She walked through the front door, approaching the desk quickly in her nervousness.

"Um, hello."

"Hello, miss. How can I help you?" the woman behind the counter asked kindly.

"I was… I was hoping to apply for the LoveMe project," she said quietly, running a nervous hand through her hair. She had come straight from work and knew she looked less than impressive.

"Really?" The woman's voice did not disguise her surprise, and Kyoko bristled again. She had come here because she wanted to change her fortune and make Sho look at her. And if that Lory person had selected her out of a crowd of people, he must have seen some sort of star quality in her. Right?

"Yes," she answered firmly, her back straightening, her face becoming calm.

"I see. And how did you hear about this project?"

"Someone from the company recommended me," she answered promptly. "A Lory-san." The receptionist's eyes grew wide.

"Was he wearing some sort of costume," she asked in a strange voice. Kyoko nodded, wondering just how infamous this man was. "You… are not very familiar with the company, are you?"

Alright, Kyoko was definitely missing something.

"Not especially."

"And you still came to audition?"

"Yes."

"Because Ta- Lory-san recommended you?"

"Yes."

Kyoko left the building, paperwork completed, and a flyer with the date of the audition. She would have to take some time off of work, which was risky, but she hoped that it would work out well.

~…~

"Hello, my name is Jelly Woods. I'll be working with you today."

"It's nice to meet you, Woods-san. I'm Mogami Kyoko," she answered, bowing neatly. Her clothes were rumpled, her hair a wreck, and she was having a hard time breathing after biking so quickly to get here. Jelly gave her a long look, smiled, shook her head, and took Kyoko's hand, dragging her along.

"Let's get to work. Darling's never wrong, but you- you need some magic."

"Magic?" Jelly giggled at Kyoko's longing, almost desperate tone.

"Of course. I am a witch, after all."

"Really?" Her eyes were practically glowing with excitement. She started skipping as she followed Jelly, her mind filling with images of star tipped wands, sparkles, and a beautiful dress fit for a ball for royalty. She was going to be Cinderella. She even had her own witch to cast the magic spell.

Lory wandered into the room just as Jelly was putting the final adjustments on Kyoko's wig. There were a surprisingly large number of applicants for the LoveMe project. Lory suspected that it had a lot to do with the rumor that the audition was much easier to pass then LME's general one, and that Ren worked for the company. It was surprising how well those two facts could work on a female population. The project had not drawn in any men, which Lory had hoped it would, but that could be forgiven. This was good enough.

He spotted Kyoko with Jelly and smiled. He had known she would come. This project was made for girls like her. There would be a final test, just to make sure, but he had the feeling that she would pass with flying colors. He had been looking forward to this since the day he had gotten a call from the front desk telling him that Kyoko had stopped by. The receptionist had mentioned that the girl did not seem to know who Lory was, and he had thanked her for keeping it a secret. There were some things that were more exciting to see in person, and he was looking forward to revealing himself to this Mogami Kyoko.

"Sir, the first group is ready for testing. Should we take them to the room?"

"Yes. And don't forget to notify security. Ren's in the building this morning and the last thing he needs is for one of these young ladies to escape and come after him."

"Yes, sir."

As Jelly finished with Kyoko, the girl was handed over to the wardrobe crew and passed back and forth between two young women who could not decide how best to dress their charge. With makeup and a wig, her appearance was fresher, but it was anyone's guess what would look best on her. After all, anything would look better than what she was currently wearing. They eventually decided on a short jean skirt with an open v-neck sweater that revealed the top of a black halter camisole. A necklace with a large L shaped pendant was thrown around her neck before she was shoved towards a group of waiting girls. Jelly floated over to fuss with Kyoko's hair while she waited, and Kyoko was grateful. Jelly's inane chatter kept Kyoko fairly calm.

"You made it," a cheerful voice at her elbow exclaimed, forcing her to repress a flinch. "I knew you would come."

"I don't turn down challenges," she answered with conviction. Lory smiled at her.

"I didn't think you would. You look very nice, by the way. Even if you don't become an actress or model, you should put more effort into your appearance. You're wasting perfectly good beauty."

Kyoko shifted uncomfortably and looked away.

"It isn't exactly my highest priority," she mumbled, remembering all those painful times she had run past the cosmetics and fashionable clothing during her various shopping trips.

"But how will you find someone who loves you if no one pays attention to you?" Lory asked, his apparent genuine confusion only slightly softening the stabbing pain to her heart. Jelly's nodding in agreement did not help.

"It's all well and good to say the inside is what counts," the witch agreed, "but if you don't even try to look at least put together you can't really expect anyone to pay much attention to you."

"I already have someone," Kyoko shot back, pouting. Lory raised a brow.

"Ohhhh? Then why are you here?" Kyoko looked up at him in confusion. "This is a LoveMe initiative. The people here want to be loved. In some way or another, they crave it. Or at least they should. So if you have someone who already looks at you, why are you here?"

Kyoko could not answer, but Lory did not press her to. Someone approached to inform him they were ready for the next group of girls and he sailed out of the room, happily urging the next set to follow him. Jelly remained only for a moment to add, "Having someone you care about is fine, but it hurts a lot when they don't notice." Kyoko would have protested, but the longing look on Jelly's face made Kyoko bite her tongue.

She spent the next twenty minutes avoiding thinking about the implications of Lory and Jelly's words. Then it was time for her to go.

"Step through here," their guide directed. "The instructions are simple. Stand in front of the camera and do what you are told. You'll get your results right away."

The girls looked back and forth in confusion, some of them fiddling with their hair or adjusting their clothes.

"Right away?"

"Can you see if anyone from the other groups is still here?"

"They can't just make snap decisions like that. I'm not a model! I thought there would be an acting test too."

"This isn't fair! I wanted to work with Ren!"

Kyoko repressed a twitch as she heard the actor's name. The general murmur of agreement made her wince and regret her choice of coming here even more. Apparently, this was a gathering ground for Tsuruga Ren groupies. Kyoko was and always would be Sho's biggest fan. She really did not belong here.

The girls started to move through the test, lined up against a wall and placed one by one in front of the camera. Behind them was a large, white screen. Kyoko watched in confused fascination as the cameraman told the girls to strike various poses, the only commonality of his requests being that they pose their right hand forming an L with their thumb and pointer finger. This gesture would be formed hesitantly, the cameraman would shake his head, snap a quick shot, and the girl would be asked to leave, usually escorted by security as she screamed obscenities at the room in general, demanding to get to see Ren.

Kyoko was near the end of the line, and had listened to the girl's whispered comments in front of her as they moved along. Apparently this was beyond unusual for an audition, it was unfathomable. Kyoko shifted nervously as she was told to step up.

"Rotate your right shoulder back a bit," the cameraman ordered. His command was snippy, but Kyoko could tell he was tired. He had been dealing with highly strung females all morning. She could sympathize.

"Like this?" she checked, trying to sound as cooperative as possible. He gave her a small smile and a few more simple instructions before telling her to make the L with her right hand.

"Now try and frame your necklace at the inside corner of your fingers?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Where your fingers join," he clarified. "You're going to invert the L, and it will be backwards, but that shouldn't be a problem." He looked over his shoulder at Lory who nodded approval, smiling mildly. Kyoko made the gesture, trying to keep a straight face, feeling extremely foolish.

There was a flash of light from behind her, and a gasp from the crowd. She blinked, fairly certain that the cameraman had not taken a shot. She dropped the pose, turning around to see what everyone was looking at.

The screen was blank.

She turned back around and gave the crowd a questioning look. Several of them had their mouths hanging open. Others were blinking rapidly. She cocked her head in confusion, watching Lory smile.

"Kobayashi-san," he said to the cameraman, "could you take the picture?"

"Yes, sir," Kobayashi answered, shaking himself slightly and recomposing himself. "Miss, if you could pose again."

"Y-yes," Kyoko answered, controlling her expression and posing her hand again. There was a bright light from behind her, but she kept still until she heard the click of the camera and was given the okay to relax. The moment she did the glow behind her faded. Kobayashi gestured for her to step over to him and look at the picture, something he had not done for any of the other girls.

"Here," he said, showing her the image. Kyoko let out a small gasp as the background of the picture caught her eye. It was not a plain white background. Rather, a small army of cherub like beings holding crowns of leaves hung behind an assortment of golden L's, each one glowing with an intense gold light. She looked at Kobayashi-san in confusion. "It's was his idea," the man explained, nodding at Lory, who had come up behind.

"The backdrop is special," he told Kyoko. "It senses the desire that we're looking for in our potential employees and turns it into that image," he explained. "Congratulations. You're our first LoveMe member, Mogami-kun."

"Oh." She meant to sound unimpressed, but something inside of her was a bit excited. She was the first one to pass.

"Head over there and talk to Sawara Takenori. He's the head of the Talent Department and he'll help you fill out the final paperwork."

"Yes sir," Kyoko answered, bowing and moving out of the way.

She walked over to a middle-aged man with a kind face who looked as exhausted as everyone else in the room. He greeted her with a weak smile and proffered her some papers and a pen, explaining what the papers meant and when she would start.

"Thank you," she told him when she was finished. "I'll be working with you from now on. Please take care of me."

"I look forward to it," Sawara told her. "Oh, and please feel free to keep the clothes. They're a gift to everyone that participated."

Kyoko thanked him profusely again, and dashed out the door. She retrieved her belongings from one of the workers, spotting Jelly on the way and waving at her happily. In the next hall she found a quiet corner and crouched down, fumbling in her bag until she found a tiny wallet and opened the clasp, shaking her Corn stone into her hand. She clenched her fist around it, wishing that her fairy prince could see her now so she could tell him about her almost Cinderella success.

After a few minutes of mumbling and a trickle of happy tears (quickly dashed away to protect her makeup), Kyoko stood and made her way to exit the building the same way she had originally come earlier. Glancing at her watch she realized that she needed to hurry or she would be late getting home. Sho had told her he would be back by five that night and she was finally going to get to eat with him. She needed to make a perfect dinner.

As she sprinted around a corner, she registered too late the quite voices approaching and in her attempt to not crash into the two men who were suddenly in front of her, she threw herself backwards and fell onto the floor, yelping in pain. The men stopped and stared at her in surprise for a long moment before the taller one proffered her a hand with a gentle, polite smile.

"Are you alright?" he asked, crouching slightly so that he could reach her. She stared at him for a brief second, trying to remember why he was so very familiar, and recoiled in disgust as she realized it was Sho's rival, Tsuruga Ren. He blinked in surprise and the man in glasses next to him gave Tsuruga a questioning, accusatory look. "Miss?"

"I'm fine," she answered, getting to her feet on her own and brushing herself off. She tried for civil, but a bit of acidity was in her tone. Tsuruga frowned.

"We haven't met before, have we?" he asked carefully.

"No," she answered, rolling her eyes at such a suggestion. He smiled again, but she felt something cold in that look that made her recoil again.

"Then I have to say, I'm a bit surprised by your actions. I can't have done something to offend you since we've never met. And it's polite to accept help when it's offered, you know."

Kyoko was about to reply when a voice called out from behind her, "Ah, Ren, Yashiro-san, you've met our newest addition to the family. This is Mogami-kun, our first and very promising LoveMe member." Ren glared at Lory.

"So you really went through with it?"

"Of course. It was a brilliant idea."

"You know I have to disagree with you about that, Takarada-shachou." Ren was surprised when Kyoko whipped around, her mouth agape and her eyes wide open. Something between a whine and a whimper escaped from her.

"I made sure not to mention it," Lory explained kindly to the stunned girl. "And I told everyone else to keep it secret as well. I didn't want it to impact your decision." Ren looked at his boss with a frown and was about to speak when suddenly Kyoko threw herself on the ground at Lory's feet, a stream of words pouring from her mouth, loudly and at such a high speed that it took all of the men a full minute to realized she was apologizing for her mistake and not having given Lory the proper respect. This continued for enough time, Lory simply smiling and watching in amusement, that Ren felt it his duty as a gentleman to save the girl's dignity and explain that Lory was now teasing her.

"Mogami-san, that's enough," he told her, pulling her arm to bring her out of her dogeza.

"I'm not apologizing to you!" she snapped, yanking her arm back and glaring at him. Lory laughed at the stunned look on Ren's face, and patted Kyoko's head gently.

"I appreciate you apology," her new employer told her with a chuckle. "And I'm glad I hired you. You're going to be just what we were looking for." Ren and Kyoko both gave him an incredulous look, but he ignored them and turned to Yashiro. "Can you walk her to the exit. Whoever collected her visitor's pass when she changed managed to misplace it, and I don't want her thrown out of her new home."

Yashiro agreed, earning an especially bright, disquieting smile from Ren when he asked the actor if it was alright. Kyoko, meanwhile, was a little distracted by the idea of being a part of the LME family and calling this place her home. Was that really what it was going to be from now on? She looked at Lory uncertainly, and he smiled reassuringly.

"If you'll follow me, Mogami-san, I can show you out," Yashiro said with a bow.

"Thank you very much!" she answered with her own bow. Ren promised to meet the bespectacled man shortly and Kyoko was left to a quiet walk where Yashiro discovered a very interesting array of faces that the girl could make as she contemplated the fact that she might need to quit all of her other part time jobs. And tell Sho she was working for the enemy… She clutched her Corn stone tightly for strength, suddenly feeling exhausted.

~…~

Sho walked into the apartment and was surprised to find Kyoko curled up on the floor of the living room. She was dressed in an outfit he had never suspected her of owning and appeared to have a wig in her hand. When he tried to wake her she mumbled something about magic and witches and Sho decided she must have finally lost her mind. After realizing that she had had her breakdown after making dinner and there was still something for him to eat, he grabbed a blanket off of her bed, threw it over her, and sat down to address his food.

* * *

_And end chapter. Hope that it was worthwhile. And that I will post faster next time. Thanks to those who still bother to review. And thanks to Will who still puts up with unfair demands from me on her time._


	11. Devil on Her Shoulder

_And the next chapter. I still own nothing. Link below._

http:/eatmanga. com/Manga-Scan/Skip-Beat/Skip-Beat-008

* * *

Vol 2 Act 8

~…~

Kyoko looked at the outfit that the costume director had handed to her and repressed a shudder. She allowed herself one imploring look, but the woman only shook her head.

"He insists," she said apologetically. "We don't have a lot of say when he gets into one of his pets. And he's been really into this project."

"So I've been told," Kyoko sighed. "It's alright. At least it isn't transparent." The woman rolled her eyes.

"We have Asami-san to thank for that. It was something of a close call."

Kyoko's eyes darkened. "Oh?"

"It wasn't all going to be transparent," the woman amended hurriedly. "But Asami-san insisted on being careful and considerate of the actors."

"Actors? I thought I was the only one for this PV."

"Sho was going to play the part, but Asami-san objected again. Something about his previous performances not being up to par, and using the best if he was going to show to best advantage."

"Oh. So who is the other actor?" The woman smiled coyly.

"The best, of course," she answered, before sliding back out the door with a wave. Kyoko swallowed nervously. There was only one actor that she considered the best, and if he was here…

She was in so much trouble.

~…~

Fuwa Sho leaned back against the chair, using the relaxed pose as a cover for his recoil as Tsuruga Ren walked past. He narrowed his eyes slightly, glaring, but Ren ignored him, going to greet Asami. The director thanked him profusely for coming and apologized repeatedly for any trouble they might have caused. Ren, sensing an apology for things yet to come, reassured her that he was not troubled at all.

"I'm looking forward to a new experience," he told her. "And I'm glad for an opportunity to work with Mogami-san again." He saw Sho twitch out of the corner of his eye. "Thank you, by the way, for recommending her to director Ogata. If you hadn't, she would not have been cast as Mio, and that would have been a great loss."

Sho twitched convulsively, but jerked his head away to demonstrate that he was _not_ listening. Because he did _not_ care. At all.

"Have you looked over the script?" Asami-san asked after a few more pleasantries. "I know there aren't any lines."

"Don't worry," Ren reassured her. "I've done commercials before that were almost exactly like this. Not having a speaking part doesn't limit me."

"I should have known," she laughed. "Ah, Kyoko-chan!"

Ren spun around with as much dignity as he could, frustrated when he realized that Fuwa had still spotted her first. His gaze was fixed solidly on the girl approaching them, rubbing her arm anxiously and glancing up at Ren every so often. He smiled instinctively. She was just too cute sometimes.

"Well, look who finally showed up," Sho drawled, swaggering out of his seat and putting himself directly between her and Ren. "I didn't think the costume would take you so long. Or can't you handle it?"

For a brief second Kyoko smirked, glancing up at Ren, and Cain and Setsu shared a knowing look. Then she looked back at Sho and shrugged.

"It was the makeup that took so long. They wanted the letters clear and easy to read." She pointed to her upper right arm as she spoke, indicating the black block letters written there, spelling in English "Dangerous Girl."

"Looks like they did a good job," Ren noted casually, drawing her attention to himself again. "Is everyone ready now?"

With a clap of her hands, Asami called the crew to order and they began to get the actors placed for the first scene.

~…~

The plot of the PV was simple. The song was a about a man falling in love with a seemingly innocent girl who had a secret, seductive side to her. Ren and Kyoko would interact in a series of shots on the street, Ren's character catching sight of a strange girl in a long coat, walking along with her face towards the sky, a warm, sweet smile on her face. Enthralled by this angelic figure, he began to follow her, and she in turn eventually turned her face from the sky and gave all of her attention to him.

The climax came when Ren's character returned home one day and opened his door to find himself not in his apartment, but in a bizarre room decorated in yellow wallpaper with broad pink stripes covered in little white flowers. The room was empty except for the young woman he had been following. Having discarded her coat, she was seen to be dressed in a high-necked white slip with long, white, lace trimmed gloves and stockings. Her image should have been one of an innocent sweetness. But the look she gave him was anything but. Determination and an almost sly stare were on her face. The words on her arm were clearly visible to Ren's character, and he would swallow slowly. When the video was finished, the final chorus would play, the suggestive words finally fitting with Kyoko's character's behavior. She would stand, saunter over to him, wrap her arms around his neck, and drag him through a door at the back of the set. The video would finish eventually with a series of shots of Sho singing.

The filming almost went smoothly, but there was a brief argument between Sho and Asami that delayed things.

"It doesn't need to be so suggestive," he hissed after he refused to accept their first take of the final scene.

"Sho, the whole point of your song was to be suggestive. Her actions fit the song. You wanted the scene this way," she sighed, shaking her head.

"That was before," he growled in response, his eyes flying to where Kyoko was standing, several meters away, to make sure she could not hear. "When I was going to be in it. I told you to change it!" he hissed.

"And I told you no," she responded in a level tone. "I told you that we were hiring another actor because you don't do well at on screen acting. The _Prisoner_ PV went well because Kyoko pulled you and Mimori through the difficult scenes and Mimori is obsessed enough with you that your flattery and flirting can come off looking like love. But I don't need the difficulty and scandal that would come with you trying to play a romantic role with Kyoko-san."

"Scandal?" Sho demanded, incredulous.

"Tsuruga Ren is also a well-known and respected actor. Having him in your video shows that you have the kind of money and respect needed to hire him. And I know that he can work with Kyoko-san. Hiroaki-kun told me more than enough about the _Dark Moon_ filming for me to be sure of that. You and she barely made it through the last PV, and while I trust her professionalism, Shoko-san and I both doubt whether you could do the same." Sho stared, flabbergasted.

"I can do it," he growled. Asami just shook her head.

"I have a job to do," she told him sternly. "Tsuruga-san has taken time out of his schedule to do this, and I won't waste it. I won't waste Kyoko-san's time either. Move the camera so we can take the shot from the next angle!" she called out to her staff.

~…~

Kyoko sighed as she flopped into the chair in her dressing room. There had been a few scenes where Sho had been hovering in the background of her and Ren's character's interacting, and those scenes had gone through multiple retakes before they had been okayed. Ren and Kyoko did just fine. Sho had not.

"Feeling sorry for him?" Ren asked from the doorway, startling her. She frowned at him.

"You shouldn't be in here," she scolded him, a blush on her face. "What if someone sees you?"

"Like Fuwa? Would that be a problem? Were you planning on getting back together with him?" Kyoko pouted.

"No!"

"Then why are you here?" he asked in a serious voice.

Kyoko bit her lip, considering. When she noticed Ren growing stone faced and a little pale, she said hurriedly, "I wanted to be professional."

"By acting as his lover?" His voice was tight and Kyoko fought panic and a sense of betrayal.

"I didn't want to play the role," she said as strongly as she could. "I wanted to prove that I wasn't tied down by him anymore. That I wasn't afraid of what he could do to me."

"So you hid it from me? You kept it from me and let me hear about it from his producer when she called to offer me the part? You assumed you would be acting with him and didn't think I wanted to know?"

"I… I was scared," she whispered. "I was scared you would ask me not to do it. And I wouldn't be able to tell you no."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want to have to pretend to love him. To be attracted to him. And if you asked me not to, even if you weren't serious, I would have rejected it." She hesitated for a moment before adding, "Because I love you." She stared at the floor as she said it, purposefully avoiding his tender smile.

"I didn't ask you," he pointed out. "Even when I found out about it."

"That's because you knew we would be acting together," she retorted. "You didn't mind then."

"Then what's the problem now?" Ren asked, smirking. "I can't ask you to quit the job at this point. You don't need to be so worried about me being here."

"I was going to change," Kyoko mumbled, poking her fingers together and glancing up at him under her lashes. "This outfit is… embarrassing."

Ren looked her over for a long moment, a glimmer in his eyes brightening. "I don't see a problem with it. It's not much worse than some of the stuff you wore as Setsu. Besides," the smile grew more pronounced, "you look good in it."

"You aren't supposed to mention that assignment," Kyoko whined, wrapping her arms around her waist. "And I don't care if I look good in it. There isn't enough of it." She squeaked as Ren crossed over to her abruptly and knelt in front of her, propping his elbows on the arms of her chair and grabbing her face in his hands.

"There isn't much of it," he agreed quietly, his thumb stroking her face. "But that doesn't have to be a bad thing."

"Even though a lot of people are going to see me in it, trying to seduce you?" she questioned, still obviously upset. Ren chuckled.

"You could seduce me in an oversized, dirty sack," he informed her cheerfully. "And most of Fuwa's fans are girls. _And_ those that aren't get to see me getting the girl. So it's a worthwhile tradeoff."

"I still don't understand how you can say embarrassing things like that," Kyoko mumbled, trying to turn her face away. His hands kept her firmly in place.

"Practice," he informed her. "And it's all true, which helps as well." They gazed at each other for a long moment.

"Are you going to kiss me again?" she asked in a small voice, the color growing in her cheeks again.

"Of course," he replied before closing the distance between them. When he pulled away Kyoko sighed softly, resting her forehead against his.

"I shouldn't have let you do that," she told him, smiling softly. He chuckled.

"You've never been able to stop me. Not the first time, and not any time since then."

"Well, I wasn't expecting my 'big brother' to do something like that," she answered defensively. "And even you said that you shouldn't have done it."

"Well, not while we were still acing as siblings," he conceded. "But I still don't regret it. Even with the two months of misunderstandings and you not knowing how you were supposed to act Setsu after that, and me trying to work up the courage to finish confessing to you."

"And then you did it on accident," she giggled. "All because I fell in a pool."

"Well, it seemed like a good time to tell you I love you," he answered with another warm smile.

"You still mean it?" Kyoko asked timidly. "Right?" Ren kissed her again.

"Always."

"Hey!" an irate shout came from the doorway. The couple looked over to see Sho watching them, livid.

"Something wrong, Fuwa-kun?" Ren asked with a bright, sparkling smile. Sho looked between the glittering Ren and the blushing Kyoko with no small amount of irritation.

"Filming's over," he snapped. "So you can get your hands off her and get out of her dressing room."

"Kyoko, do you want me to leave?" Ren asked, turning a begging face towards her. Chagrin at being caught was instantly replaced with irritation at being manipulated in such a way. Why did he always have to make that face?

"Yes," she told him sternly, pointing at the exit with an imperative finger.

"Alright," Ren answered smoothly, taking the rebuff with aplomb and placing another kiss on her cheek as he stood. "You do still need to change. Fuwa-kun and I will leave you to finish." He moved to the door, grabbing Sho by the arm and dragging the swearing, struggling young man out with him, calling over his shoulder, "Come get me when you finish. We'll go to dinner."

"Right," Kyoko called out after him, watching the door shut and sighing again, then chuckling as she imagined Maria scolding her for letting luck escape. Well, luck was good and all, but Kyoko was not so sure she needed it anymore. After all, she had Ren. And with Ren, she had magic.

Who needed anything more than that?

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed. Thanks as always to Will and to my reviewers. Your comments and critiques are a great help._


	12. Heart's Desire

_After a long stint of writer's block, I present the next chapter. I do not own _Skip Beat_ or _Harry Potter_ in any w__ay, shape, or form. Please enjoy. I apologize for the lack of a link. This site makes it occasionally impossible to post one.  
_

* * *

Vol 2 Act 9

_Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_. ~ The Mirror of Erised

~…~

Kyoko opened the door to the storage room and sighed. It was a sigh that conveyed a slight feeling of comfort and familiarity, but also a hint of annoyance. Why did she have to work for a man who kept so much useless stuff?

Well, that was an easy question to answer. Duke Lory Takarada had saved her life twelve years ago from certain death and had her brought up in his home. She was a servant, but she was alive, healthy, and happy. She had been given the special job of cleaning the storage room where the Duke kept all of the decorations that he found around the world. These he switched out almost daily, redecorating and dressing up like the people from these places. He claimed it was to educate his granddaughter about the world while she was trapped at home, but everyone in the house believed it was because he just liked it.

"Cleaning, cleaning," Kyoko began to hum cheerfully, moving to the back of the room and starting to clean from there. The room itself was huge, and seemed to have some sort of obscure magical property where no matter how full it was, there was always room for more stuff. When Kyoko had first seen it she had been overwhelmed with all the cleaning she needed to do. But once she had things under control, maintaining the pieces was easy enough. It was a full day's work, but she could finish the whole room in a single day.

She sometimes wondered if there were time magics in the room as well, but she did not overtax her brain with the thought. No one knew how to make magical things anymore, or how to properly study magical objects. And Kyoko loved the mystery that surrounded magical things. It made them all the more interesting.

"Tables, chairs, pictures, statues," she continued to sing. "Hangings, rugs, chandeliers…"

Round and round the room, mostly dusting, polishing a bit, humming her happy tune, Kyoko let herself wander into her favorite daydream. She was a princess, in a beautiful palace, dressed in beautiful clothes.

"Dragon head, god statue," her song progressed as she checked both of these things. "Shrunken head, big sword, antique chess board."

She would wear a massive gown with stiff skirt and trimmed in the finest lace. Her hair would be piled on top of her head in a golden mass with a glittering tiara and soft gold curls falling down her back. Her mind's eye saw pink bows and fine jewels adorning her dress and her person. She could feel the richness of the fabric against her skin and smell the scent of her rich perfume as she cheerfully rubs at a spot on a tall vase. She knew every piece in this room and knew exactly what it needed. She would turn around now and start cleaning the golden-

Mirror?

Kyoko blinked at the new object gleaming brightly against the wall. It was large, it was ornate, and it was breathtaking. It might even have distracted her from her princessy daydreams. Except that as she stood in front of the mirror, she could see it. Exactly as she had imagined it. She fell to her knees in shock. It looked so real.

Her hands clasped in front of her as she stared in breathless wonder. Gone were her tattered rags (for work use only, because Duke Takarada provided perfectly good clothes to all his workers, thank you very much) and the dirt under her nails. A smile bloomed on her face as she stared, transfixed, at the image in front of her. It was some time before she was able to look away and remember her other chores. She kept running back to the mirror to sneak glances at the tempting image within.

~…~

Ren leaned back against a fence post and forced himself to not fidget. Kyoko was late, and that could mean any number of things. Most likely that Lory had gotten in a new shipment of goods and she was sorting them. But there was the chance she had been injured. It had happened before. To distract himself he closed his eyes and let his attention wander, focusing on the pockets of gossip in the yard.

"…heard no one's seen him in an age. Don't know what the king's thinking, but that son of his-"

"Can't be worse than everything going on next door. At least our kingdom has an heir, even if he is a waste."

"Has King Kuu gotten through to them yet? I thought he was negotiating the absorption of the country."

"They're holding out for a miracle. I think they're using the prince as an excuse."

"Ren!"

The tall man let a smile blossom on his face as he turned from the less than helpful gossip and watched Kyoko stumble to a stop in front of him. It was still a joy to hear her calling his name after two exhausting years of trying to convince her it was appropriate.

"Hello Kyoko. How are you today?"

"Oh Ren, it's magic! A magic mirror!"

Well, that actually explained more than it did not.

"The Duke has a new item?" he asked for clarification.

"Oh yes, and it's magical, and Ren, I was wearing _such_ a pretty dress and jewels and my hair was _beautiful_ and everything was perfect!"

"I'm guessing there is a beginning to this story," he mused, watching with amusement as her look became chagrined.

"I was cleaning-" she began, somewhat abashed.

"And the duke had a new item. A magic mirror?" Ren interposed. Her story was likely to wander in a dozen directions if he did not control it carefully.

"Yes! I looked in it and I saw myself dressed in the most beautiful clothes, all clean and neat and-"

"Breathe, Kyoko," Ren interrupted again, reaching out and tugging her ear. She swatted his hand and pouted.

"I was telling you," she huffed. "Why don't you ever listen?"

"I do listen," he retorted. "Often. But I don't need you to describe what you saw. I can imagine."

"Oh, well of course," she realized, flushing. "You've actually been to court, so you would have seen… stuff."

"Yes. Stuff," Ren agreed with a chuckle. "So, did the mirror come with instructions, or does it just show everyone who looks in it how they would look in pretty dresses?"

His tone and glance down at himself made Kyoko giggle as she tried to imagine him in the same garment she had seen herself wearing. Ren smiled, enjoying the play of emotions across her face. The urge to reach out and pull her into his arms was as strong as ever, stronger even, but he refrained as always. He knew what the consequences would be. He could not avoid them. But that did not stop the wanting.

"I don't think it would show you in the dress," Kyoko reflected. "But I don't know what it does do exactly. I'll try experimenting with it and see what I can find out."

Ren frowned. Magical items could be dangerous. At the very least, they were unknown objects. "Perhaps you should just ask the duke. I'm certain he would be more than happy to tell you."

"But that would take all of the fun out of it," Kyoko countered with a grin.

"Oh, well," he sighed, knowing that if he ordered her in any way she would do exactly the opposite, just to prove he was not the boss of her. "Just be careful, like normal. And tell me if you need anything."

"I couldn't possibly intrude on your time," she answered bluntly.

"I'm asking you to."

"Because you are always polite. You've been trained for the court, after all."

"Well, I was trained for court life, but that doesn't mean I was trained to be insincere." Kyoko flushed.

"I didn't mean that!" she reassured him violently, waving her hands. "I just meant- I- I-"

"I know what you meant," Ren reassured her, caving at her genuine distress. "But I do wish you would rely on me more." He smiled wistfully. "That's what friends are for, isn't it?"

"Oh, well, yes. I suppose. That's probably true. Maybe."

"Yes," Ren said firmly. "It is true. So please, rely on me."

"Well, if I think of something that you can do for me, I will tell you. But I don't really think you have any experience in cleaning, or magic."

"Probably not," Ren agreed. "Maybe I should fix that." Kyoko giggled.

"I can't really see you dusting or polishing for hours on end," she mused. "It doesn't really suit you."

"I suppose not. I'm sorry."

"It isn't your fault."

Their conversation continued for a while longer before Kyoko excused herself to go and see if there was anything else she could help with around the manor. Ren watched her go with a wistful smile, which amused Duke Takarada as he approached the unsuspecting young man.

"She's really something else, isn't she?" he asked slyly, enjoying watching Ren twitch in surprise.

"You are incapable of hiring normal people," was the immediate retort.

"Well, I can't help it. I need extraordinary people surrounding me to live properly." He smiled for a moment, then frowned. "Ren, how serious are you about her?"

"Your Grace, I really don't think-"

"Please do think, Ren. She's important to this household, and if you choose to, you can really hurt her."

"And she's perfectly safe with you?" Ren shot back. "What's with this new mirror you've got, anyway?"

Lory sighed. "It's mostly harmless. It's supposed to show what a person really wants, deep down in their heart. Why, did she tell you about it?"

"Apparently she saw herself as a princess in it," Ren admitted. The duke's smirk made him grimace.

"Jealous of pretty dresses and fine jewels, are we? Wishing she saw something- someone else in that mirror?"

"I don't have any expectations," Ren said firmly. "We both know that it won't work out." He paused, his face serious and a little sad. "I don't have the liberty of being serious about her. It won't work out in the end."

"Then why are you still coming here?"

Ren did not answer.

~…~

"And it was really pink," Kyoko told a chuckling Ren, mock frustration in her voice. "I'm trying to tell you how pink the dress was!"

"I believe you said it was a burning pink, with the brightness of a dozen suns."

"You don't believe me," she accused, trying to hide a smile.

"Oh, no. I believe you. I just didn't think colors like that were to your taste."

"They aren't," she retorted, growing tired of his teasing. "I like softer colors. Like the ones in Maria's storybook."

"Her fairytale book? You still like those stories?"

"Of course!" she answered exuberantly. "Stories of poor girls with good character who get help from magical guides and become sparkling princesses! Isn't it amazing?"

"I suppose so. Nobility marrying outside of their social sphere is rather difficult. They must have been impressive women to put up with the years of mockery and derision that would have come after their marriage," Ren said thoughtfully. Kyoko slumped, pouting.

"You ruined all of my dreams," she grumbled, kicking at the dirt with her toes, leaning against the fence dejectedly. Ren winced.

"Well, I'm sure they were alright. After all, they weren't alone. They had their princes to support them, right?" he coaxed.

"I guess," Kyoko mused. Then she smiled. "Although, they probably didn't need it. Since they were so incredible on their own."

"But… wasn't the point of so many of those tales that the females found true love _and _ruled kingdoms?" Ren pointed out. Kyoko sighed.

"Well yes, but I guess it's just harder to relate to that aspect of their lives. I suppose I would be more likely to find a fortune or be a long lost princess than to find true love."

"Why?" Ren demanded, torn between confusion and frustration. Kyoko rolled her eyes.

"Well, look at me," she answered, gesturing to herself. "I'm not exactly romantic material. Even the dirtiest princesses were at least considered beautiful. I'm just plain, at best."

"You underrate yourself," Ren told her firmly. Her answering smile was sweet, but she shook her head.

"It's kind of you to say so, but you know that isn't true. No one is going to come to me asking for a kiss to return them to being a prince and then sweep me off my feet."

"That doesn't have to be true," Ren said slowly. "And I don't see why your true love has to be a _prince_. He could be just a simple man." He felt incredibly guilty as he said the words, especially when her expression became resigned.

"In my case, he would have to be just a simple man."

"Or he could be a prince," Ren amended quickly. "Aren't there princes that kiss the girl and make her a princess?" She pondered this for a moment, then laughed cheerfully.

"You are right, Ren. Maybe a prince will come and give me a magical kiss and take me away to his palace where we can be together forever."

The picture she drew was brief, but it conjured very strong and real images for Ren. Irresistible ones. He did not realized what he was doing until after he had leaned in and caught her. If he had meant for the kiss to be brief, he succeeded. If he had meant for her to like it, his situation might not have been ideal. There was a long pause as she drew in one deep breath, then a second. By her third breath she had turned and fled.

It was his turn to lean against the fence, dejected. His fists clenched, but he knew it was for the best.

He had no magic to offer her.

~…~

An accident. It had been an accident.

Twelve years ago the carriage of the queen of the eastern kingdom had stalled on a forest road on its way back to the castle. In the confusion and bustle of trying to assess the damage and comfort the hysterical maid, the five year old princess had tumbled out of the wrecked box and taken off into the forest. With a mother whose interest in her child was negligent at best and the child's nursemaid comforting the distraught maid, it had not been until the party had found lodgings for the night that anyone realized the princess was missing.

Assumed dead after two weeks of searching, finding only her dress, torn almost in half, not far off the road in the woods, her kingdom found itself in a difficult position with no heir to the throne and no chance of another child being born.

It was the ambassador, visiting the Takarada estates that first noticed Kyoko's resemblance to his king and queen. With only a little bit of questioning, the truth was uncovered. No one was sure how Kyoko had made it from the lonely wood path to the edges of the Takarada estate all those years ago, and no one was particularly interested.

"You have my gratitude," Queen Saena had told the duke in a cold voice. "I wish I could adequately repay you."

Biting back a reply that he would be best repaid by keeping her daughter, the duke waved off the offer, and hoped Her Majesty would have a safe journey home. He also begged a small favor, of granting a gift to Her Majesty's daughter as a token of appreciation and apology for years of service when she should have been treated like royalty. Kyoko, gazing longingly at the courtyard, which Ren had been absent from since that unexpected kiss, waited for the magic mirror to be loaded onto a cart before she said goodbye to her long time benefactor and climbed into the carriage with her long lost mother.

The ride back was silent.

Her father having died a few years before, Kyoko could appreciate the level of stress her mother endured trying to hold a kingdom together with no royal hope of a future. Kyoko accepted gracefully the charge that she would spend the following months trudging through years worth of training to prepare her to meet her people.

"Sit up straighter. You can't let anyone see that you are tired."

"Lighter on your feet. You are dancing, floating!"

"No, none of these dates are correct. Review the text again and we'll test you tomorrow."

Her teachers ministrations were trying, but she endured them. It was her mother's words that tried her the furthest.

"Not now. I have more important things to worry about."

"Don't talk to me until you can do it correctly."

"Do you think this is sufficient? I expected better from you."

~…~

Ren paced the stable yard impatiently, waiting for the duke to arrive. He had been promised a full explanation as to why Kyoko had been let go, and he was not pleased to have been kept in the dark for so long already.

"All that pacing isn't going to bring her back," His Grace stated calmly, appearing almost out of thin air behind Ren. The younger man gave a startled twitch, then rounded on the duke.

"Where is she? What happened?"

"All of her dreams came true," Lory expounded, throwing his arms open in a grand gesture. "She found out that she had a family and was swept off by them. Aren't you glad for her?"

The clenching of Ren's fist did not suggest that he was enthusiastic about this turn of events. "Where is she?"

"My dear boy, you aren't thinking of going after her, are you?" Lory asked in a tone ripe with mockery. "She's a princess you know. It's all very hush hush, which is why your- the king hasn't heard about it yet. But apparently Queen Saena has a child after all." The duke's wicked smile widened as Ren's eyes narrowed. "What could a poor, simple man like you do to win her now, no matter how handsome you are?"

"I don't think that-"

"No. Thinking is not your strong suite. Which is why you never grabbed her when you had the chance. Now she is gone. Lost. Forever!" Lory added a few woebegone gestures to this speech to add a dramatic flare that had Ren rolling his eyes in disgust.

"I could not have pursued her without being able to do so seriously," Ren growled through clenched teeth.

"But Ren, you knew it was serious. After all, what was it that you saw in the mirror?"

As his mind drifted back to that fateful evening when Lory had pulled him aside and dragged Ren into the storage room to "face himself," he felt his cheeks burn slightly at the memory of what had confronted him beyond the glass. A thousand images of Kyoko in as many guises, from rich to poor, had assaulted his eyes. All of her hopes, her dreams, her person. He wanted all of it. All of her. Selfish, greedy man that he was.

And he was going to get it.

~…~

Kyoko gazed into the mirror in front of her, her face blank and cold. It did not show her reflection, as one might have expected from the girl who had always dreamed of wearing a dress such as the one she had on, with jewels on her fingers and a pleasant scent hanging in the air around her. No, the picture in front of her was more elusive and taunting than that. She stayed standing there, motionless until a footman arrived and told her that her mother was ready for her. She gave him a small smile and left the image of a smiling Ren in the glass behind her, feeling cut off from him forever as she heard the door close.

After all, today was the day she was to meet the man who would, hopefully, become her husband. Though his reputation was flimsy at best, Kyoko knew that her mother could not reject the offer of the prince of the kingdom to the west. King Kuu might have been a doting parent with no control over his offspring, but an engagement to Prince Kuon would help calm the remainder of the concerned populace in her own nation.

She only had to grin and bear it.

"You're late," her mother murmured as Kyoko took a seat next to the queen in the great hall.

"I'm sorry," was Kyoko's whispered reply, so soft, she doubted that Saena had heard it.

The herald announced the prince and Kyoko waited with bated breath. Here was her fairytale, as close as she would ever have to getting one. Would he be a prince or a frog?

"Do not disappoint me," Saena hissed. Kyoko knew. So much hinged on this meeting. It was a miracle that the prince had even approached them in the first place.

"Your Majesty," came the clear greeting from the entryway as the prince stepped into the room. Kyoko blinked, overwhelmed with a sense of familiarity that grew as he approached the dais and she began to make out his face. She found her heart rate quickening suddenly as he came close enough to bow regally, looking up and catching Kyoko's eye. She forgot how to breathe.

"Princess," he murmured reverently, Ren's face staring up at her with bright blue eyes resting under a golden head.

"Your Highness," she managed to reply with what little air she had left. He smiled warmly, and she knew, she just _knew_…

All her dreams were going to come true.

* * *

_And end chapter. I hope it was not disappointing. Many thanks to Will for finding the motivation to edit this._


	13. Cross Dressing

_I had a request from Cactus2008 that I include the issue or chapter number so that even if I can't include a hyperlink to the picture, adventurous souls could find it themselves. I would like to politely indicate the bold text just under my author's notes at the beginning of each chapter, detailing the volume and chapter of each picture. I would also like to restate that I do not own _Skip Beat_, or as is relevant to this chapter, _Tokyo Crazy Paradise_. I just write fan fiction. For free. That is all._

* * *

**Vol 2 Act 10**

~…~

Kanae tossed the script onto the table, quirking an eyebrow as Kyoko retrieved it with hesitance.

"So?"

"I'm just- I'm not sure I can do it. She's so…"

"Stupid?"

"No!" Kyoko responded defensively, even clutching the script close to her chest as though trying to defend it. "She isn't stupid. Well, not completely stupid. She is a little foolish, sacrificing herself so much for a _man_."

Her tone as she said _man_ made Kyoko's comment almost echo in the small room. Kanae held back a sigh of relief at the realization that in spite of Kyoko's more recent behavior, she had not lost her mind because of that pretty boy actor. Yet.

"She's high energy, but you aren't really low key yourself," Kanae pointed out calmly. "She's dedicated to the law, believes in justice, protects the weak, especially women, from the dangers of her time-"

"And she becomes a bodyguard for a _yakuza kumicho*_! She sells herself to him!" Kyoko's face was flushed with anger, but Kanae detected a hint of embarrassment in Kyoko's expressive features.

"And falls in love with him," Kanae added casually, noting with satisfaction that Kyoko's blush deepened. "I can see that it wouldn't get your stamp of approval-even I think she's an idiot for liking a guy like him-"

"Exactly!" Kyoko interrupted. "He's a womanizing, self-centered, perverted, lazy, dishonest pretty boy with bad habits and no respect for Tsukasa-san! He treats her like a slave and puts her in debt, just so he can ogle her whenever he likes! And he has no respect for her privacy!"

She was panting slightly and Kanae repressed a smile. "Sounds like you're taking this a little personally. It isn't a story about you, you know." Her tone softened as she saw Kyoko slump in her chair. "Or is it a little too personal?"

"I'm not worried about acting as a hyperactive, aggressive champion of justice," Kyoko admitted. "I've even accepted the fact that someday I will probably have to act in a romance, especially if I want to get away from acting out antagonist characters. But playing a girl that falls in love with a guy like _that cockroach_-"

"It will be the greatest test of your acting. Ever," Kanae said simply. Kyoko swallowed hard and nodded.

"I don't think I can do it," she whispered, clearly ashamed to be confessing such a thing to her best friend and greatest rival. Kanae nibbled on her thumbnail for a moment.

"Have you asked Tsuruga about this?" Kyoko's face went from shameful red to terrified white before Kanae could even blink.

"I- I can't tell him. It would be- He hates hearing about- I couldn't explain-" Words continued to tumble from her lips, but Kanae ignored them as excuses. Secretly, the second LoveMe girl was pleased that Kyoko had not even been able to tell her respected _senpai_ about this problem. Kanae added a mental mark to her running tally: Best Friend verses Prettyboy Heart-throb. The score had just tipped in her favor.

"That's fine. I understand. He's way too sensitive about that stupid musician to give you good advice about this problem. Why don't you start by showing me what you have so far?" She finally allowed a smile as Kyoko jumped in surprise. "What, I know you've already started putting the character together, even though you haven't accepted. How else would you have gotten to worrying about romance that doesn't show up until more than halfway through the series?"

"Well, I have some ideas," Kyoko admitted, standing up slowly. "But it's just an image so far. One that keeps popping up in my head."

"Well, let me see it."

Kyoko stood back, shifting her weight so that her shoulders were back as her legs spread apart slightly. She cocked her head at a sharp angle, put on a piercing, serious face, and gave a hard wink as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her LoveMe coveralls. She held that for a second before throwing her upper body forward to loom over the table, still staring fiercely at Kanae. LoveMe number two repressed a shudder at her sudden shock of fear. Even knowing Kyoko was the body, she had the distinct impression that this was not Kanae's best friend standing in front of her anymore. Kanae nodded firmly to show she had seen her fill.

"Impressive." Kyoko let the character go and sighed.

"I'm pleased with it, but I don't know what I'll do when it comes to the romance," she muttered.

"Hope that Tsuruga gets the lead role?" Kanae suggested teasingly, smirking as Kyoko flushed again. After a moment her face cleared replaced by a thoughtful look.

"He's very good at helping a person to stay in character, but I don't see Tsuruga-san as a very good choice to play Ryuji. He's too old. The characters are supposed to be in middle school in the original story, but the director upped the age to high school because he felt that it fit better. But even with that change, I feel like Tsuruga-san would be better as the villain that is in love with Tsukasa's mother. It fits his image better."

Kanae choked on a laugh.

"That old pervert?" Kyoko gave a sheepish grin.

"Is that terrible?"

"No. It's perfect. A creeper with a fetish-"

"Obsession," Kyoko corrected painstakingly. Kanae shrugged.

"Obsession. Drug dealer, stalker, thief. That could be fun. He would even have crazy long hair, wouldn't he? That would be funny to see." Kyoko giggled suddenly.

"He would look interesting," she agreed. Then her face grew serious again. "He would be disappointed, wouldn't he, if I refused for such a silly reason?"

Kanae personally thought that in order to hoard Kyoko to himself, Tsuruga Ren would be the first person to recommend against Kyoko acting in a romantic role. So she had no hesitation in saying, "He would disown you as his _kohai_. He would be furious."

Kyoko groaned. "I have to do it, don't I?"

"Don't you want to do it? A lead role? A protagonist? You'd even get some basic martial arts training for the role, wouldn't you?"

"Yes. It sounds like a lot of fun."

"Then what's stopping you?" Kanae watched as Kyoko's face shifted from uncertain worry to a happy and determined smile.

"Nothing relevant. Well, I am a bit worried about the… physical attributes of the main character."

"Really?" Kanae asked, surprised and trying to remember specific descriptions that would be problematic for Kyoko from the script.

"Yes. The director removed most of the nude scenes where Ryuji's character walks in on Tsukasa dressing, or things like that because of the rating he wants to air the show at. But," Kyoko gestured quickly to her chest. "The character wears a binding most of the time, but when she is in female disguises, other girls complain about her overdoing her... bust size."

"And you're just average," Kanae noted dispassionately, ignoring Kyoko's growing fluster. "Well, they'll probably have costume solutions for that. Since the vest is supposed to be high tech future stuff anyway, it's probably to their advantage that you are so… proportionate. It'll be easier to hide your gender without hurting you."

"But what about the scenes when I'm not supposed to be hiding my gender?"

"Well, they could just leave things as they are and allow for exaggeration. But there are plenty of ways to make a woman more busty."

"It just seems indecent," Kyoko mumbled. "I mean, I don't _need _them."

"Need what?" Kyoko tripped backwards at the sound of the masculine voice from the doorway, suddenly flaming red. Kanae grinned wickedly as she spotted Tsuruga Ren and answered immediately.

"Breast enhancements." There was an extended silence.

Ren did not prolong his visit to the LoveMe room that afternoon.

* * *

_Thanks as ever to Will for her diligent service in editing. She puts up with so much. Also a thank you to my reviewers._ _I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter, at least a little._


	14. Forever Quest

_Well, it's been a very long time. Too long, I think. Sorry for the wait.  
_

* * *

**Vol 2 Act 11**

~…~

Kuon braced himself against the massive double doors and pushed with all of his strength. The heavy wood creaked slightly beneath his fingers and he gritted his teeth against the resistance of the hinges and with a final heave managed to get the doors to swing open wide enough to shed light on most of the entryway.

It was not too different from most of the other castles he had visited. A bit musty, dark, and very empty. He never understood why enchantments that protected unmarried females from death by starvation could not also be set to keep things clean. But then, Kuon did not know much about magic. He only really knew things about weapons. And responsibility. And females.

Oh, the things that he knew about females.

Kuon Hizuri glanced around the large, open foyer and noted, with resigned frustration, the staircase that branched up on two sides, leading to a right and left landing that flowed into hallways that wrapped around the second floor. Every single castle just had to have one. There was no one waiting on the staircase, which was a bit unusual. Most princesses heard the noise of someone entering and came running.

Kuon stepped further in to the building, scanning the doors on the first floor and listening intently for the slightest sound. He noticed the curtains were pulled back in a room on the left, the door having been left slightly open. He made his way over confidently but quietly, hearing the slightest rustling from beyond the doors. Easing into the room, he noticed a girl sitting in the middle of the floor.

There was a spattering of roses surrounding her, a pink contrast to the black and white tile. Her dress was shorter than he expected, splayed around her knees with lacey trim, matching her elbow length gloves. The jewels around her neck were probably prepared by the magics that kept this place, but he suspected she had been the one to embellish them with additional lace.

"Hello," she greeted him blandly, tearing petals from a flower that she had in her hands. "It's been a while since anyone has come by."

"Good afternoon," he returned, glancing around the room with sudden suspicion. There had been a look on her face for just a moment that made him nervous. He looked back at her, uncertain what to say next.

"Did you bring the token?"

"Of course." He pulled a glass shoe out of his travel pack, coming forward and placing it carefully in her hands. "The glass slipper from the dark bard."

Her eyes hardened briefly as she accepted it, but she smiled up at him. "Yes. This is it." She tossed some of her long, gold hair back over her shoulder examining the shoe as a queer smile spread on her face. The look made him uncomfortable and suspicious.

"Well, you certainly found it." She cupped the shoe in her hands, still smiling that odd smile. "So, can you get it back?"

Before he could ask her what she meant, she was suddenly moving, jumping up in a fluid motion and running past him, his fingers grazing her arm as he moved automatically to grab her just a moment too late. He stared after her for a long moment as she ran for the stairs, pausing when she did not hear him to turn back and taunt him with a rude gesture. This brought him out of his shock and he chased after her, resolved to interrogate her once he caught her. No one had told him about this part of this stupid ritual and he hated being made fun of.

"You're slow," she called over her shoulder as she turned down a hallway at the top of the stairs. He realized quickly that she had an advantage here, knowing each room much better than he did. He muttered curses under his breath as he also realized that she had left all of the doors in the hall open, and some of them opened onto other halls. He had already lost her.

She proceeded for the next hour to pop around odd corners to taunt him as he tried to systematically search through the upstairs.

"Would you stop moving," he growled as she darted down the hall, sticking her tongue out at him as she began to bound down the stairs. Kuon huffed, strode over to the railing, glanced down, then threw himself over the edge. He landed with a thud just as she tripped down the last step, scrambling to turn as she realized he was already downstairs. Rather than just standing, he shoved off from his crouched position, reaching her before she could start running again. She tried to yank her arm away when he grabbed her, but only made herself stumble.

"You-" she gasped, pulling as hard as she could while scrambling with her free hand at the fingers clamped around her upper arm. When this failed to do anything, she stomped at his foot earning a contemptuous chuckle.

"What, did no one try that before?"

"Of course not," she snapped, hitting his hand repeatedly with fierce determination. When he got irritated, he picked her up. She started beating her hands against his chest as he walked around the first floor until he found a couch to set her down on.

"Well, I don't see how that is my fault. And you did tell me to chase you."

"You were supposed to give up," she growled, straightening her skirts. Kuon noticed her glancing to either side of him standing in front of her, looking for an escape. She jerked backwards as he moved into her personal space, pinning her to the couch back between his arms. There was a brief look of nervousness, replaced by a haughty, triumphant smile. "You still haven't won."

"What?" She waved her hands in his face.

"You didn't find the slipper." He frowned.

"So."

"I told you, you had to get it back."

"Where is it?"

"Why would I tell you?" was her cheeky response. He leaned in closer and noticed her swallow, though her face didn't change.

"Because you don't want to see me angry," he whispered. She had the gall to snort.

"Of course. Because _men_ like you are so terrifying." She rolled her eyes and his expression darkened.

"And what do you know about men?" he demanded, trying to decide if her change in expression was actually fear.

"Does it matter?"

It was the way she said it. He could not say where he felt the falseness of her confidence. Whether it was her words, her tone, or if it was somewhere in her face. But he knew that she was vulnerable. His knuckles brushed against her cheek gently and he felt her twitch.

"Does it?" he asked, lowering his voice to a tone he knew had been effective against women before.

"N-no." Her face was flaming red he watched her swallow convulsively a few times.

"No?" He leaned closer, his forehead touching hers. "And what about the shoe? Does that matter?"

She bit her lip and her eyes focused. "Yes."

"Then, won't you tell me where it is?" When she did not answer, he leaned in next to her ear to whisper, "_Please_."

She shuddered.

"Y-you have to f-find it yourself."

"Really?" His hand cradled her face, his thumb stroking her cheek.

"Yes!" she squeaked. He pulled back slightly and saw a stubborn look on her face, in spite of her embarrassment. Time to change tactics slightly.

"Name?" he asked, pulling back a little more.

"What?"

"Your name. You never told me." She hesitated.

"Kyoko Mogami."

"Oh?" He leaned in close again just as she was beginning to relax. "Do you have any experience with kissing, _Kyoko_?"

She froze, her whole body becoming completely rigid. Her mouth moved and no sound came out, but Kuon did not need to hear her to know what her answer was. The hand on her face shifted and his thumb brushed her bottom lip.

"Shall I teach you?" When she did not answer, he moved to close the last of the distance between them, but found her hand closing over his mouth with a sharp snap.

"That isn't necessary," she told him, tripping over her words as they tumbled breathlessly out of her mouth. "I think…" She hesitated, flinching before she finished answering. "I think I should show you where the slipper is."

He waited for a long moment before pulling back, twining his arm around hers and sliding his hand down before he grabbed her hand, helping her to stand while being pulled up right against him.

"Then why don't you show me?" he invited, a gentlemanly smile in place. Her look of anger told him he was not fooling her. She gave her arm an experimental tug, but simply sighed in resignation when he did not let her pull away.

"This way."

The slipper was up on the third floor, tucked away in a closet that she could have reached quickly while out of sight, giving the illusion she had never left the second floor. He was glad he had bullied her into showing him. It would have taken him ages to find it alone.

"Well, here it is," he said, one hand still firmly holding hers, the other holding the slipper. "Now what?"

"I don't know," she grumbled. "No one's ever got this far before."

"I think," he said in a mildly sarcastic tone, "that you come back with me now and be my bride."

Kyoko snorted.

"I think that this is a stupid ritual, and you're even stupider for having gone through with it. Aren't there any girls at your home?"

"Oh yes, but no princesses. They are tucked away in castles like yours for the Prince's Grand Quest, you know."

"I don't see how a girl alone in a castle makes for a good princess," she grumbled.

"Well, I'm not in charge. And I don't intend on ruining my father's kingdom over the issue." Kyoko harrumphed, but said nothing else. "I'm sure my mother will be willing to teach you all of the things that you need to know to be a good queen."

"Do you have any idea how difficult that will be?" Kuon shrugged.

"I'll have to learn how to be king. It isn't as though I'm dragging you back and expecting you to be the only one doing any work."

Kyoko examined him carefully, her eyes narrowing.

"Why did you choose me?"

"Of the three princess tests that list failures, I didn't like the other two."

"I'm your last choice? You went on _three_ quests?"

Kuon shifted. "Yes."

"But… you could have just chosen the first princess if you need a queen."

"I didn't like her."

"And you like me?" Her tone of disbelief made him smile.

"I like you best, yes."

"Why?" He pondered this for a moment.

"I have no idea." She glared.

"What?"

"I don't know. You're at least as frustrating as the other two to try and get along with, and more nervous than they were. But… I prefer you."

"I'm so… flattered." She tugged her hand again, not looking him in the eyes.

He contemplated her reaction for a moment before adding, "You're prettier."

He watched her blush to her roots in a heartbeat. Her hand was warmer in his and he saw her worry her lip before answering.

"Liar."

He brushed her hair back from her face with his free hand, tucking it behind her ear.

"No." His knuckles brushed her blushing cheek and she jerked her head away. "I guess you aren't used to compliments."

"I don't consider your picking me based on my appearance a compliment," she snapped, now putting her whole body weight into pulling herself away. He kept a firm hold, hardly noticing.

"That isn't why I'm choosing you." Another snort. "I think you're the best choice. And I like you."

Bewilderment and disbelief played for dominance on her face. He had surprised himself as well. Because only a few minutes ago he had been so angry at her, and now…

"It just feels right," he told her, and watched as disbelief won out.

"Liar!" she snapped, stomping at his foot. He dodged, but figured it was best to assume she might try more violence, and so picked her up, wrapping an arm around her waist and heaving her over his shoulder. He made his way downstairs, ignoring the fists pounding in his back and the insults pouring out of her mouth. He had decided, just now, that she was what he had been looking for, and he could discover when he got home just what it was exactly that he had got himself into. It would be an adventure, and his gut instinct told him it would be worth the effort.

And probably also frustrating and difficult. But worth it.

"Put me down!" Kyoko shouted as he made his way towards the front door. "Put me down now, you-"

She did not finish her sentence. An invisible barrier stopped Kuon just as he was about to step outside, and threw both him and Kyoko back in. She tumbled out of his arms, cursing as she stood up, straightening her skirt. Kuon stood as well, slowly, looking at her in confusion.

"What was that?"

"I don't know," she huffed, frustration clear in her voice. "But every other time someone has tried to take me out, _this_ happens." She gestured to the open door, a faint sparkle indicating the barrier was still there.

"I thought you said no one had caught you."

"They hadn't. I was going to go the first time," she mumbled, embarrassment clear on her face. "He was… Sho was…" She threw up her arms. "It didn't work."

"And the next time?" She shuddered.

"He was disgusting, and weird. He's the reason I came up with the game. I figured if he couldn't catch me, I wouldn't have to go with him. Eventually, he got tired of looking for me and left."

"So, you're stuck here?"

"Unless you have the magical answer for how to get me out."

"But… this isn't how it is supposed to work. When the quest is completed, the prince is supposed to be able to bring the princess back to his kingdom."

"Well, complain to the Magic Council."

"No one else did?"

"They all did. But they were told that everything necessary was present for the quest. It was the princes' fault."

Kuon sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Do you want to leave?"

Her eyes said it all. Her mouth might have been set in a stubborn line, she might have shrugged in answer, but he could see it. Even if she did not know him, even if she did not trust him, she wanted out. Now.

He turned to the barrier and tried to put his hand through it, not terribly surprised when he could get through. He looked over to see her watching him, obviously waiting for him to go.

"Here." He held out the slipper to her, seeing the surprise on her face as she took it. "It might get damaged if I keep it with me. You take care of it until I come back."

"Come back?" She had the most adorable expressions. He was starting to see how this could work out.

"Yes. I must have missed something. If everything is in place, I just have to keep looking until I find what I missed."

"But…" She was so confused. "You can find another princess."

"Don't be ridiculous," he told her. "I chose you."

She looked down, clenching the slipper in her hands as the fabric of her gloves stretched taut. "You'll be back?"

"Yes." She stepped closer.

"Truly?"

"You have my word, Kyoko. I'll be back for you." She seemed hopeful, but a little unsure. So he closed the distance between them. He reached out to cup her cheek and brushed his thumb under her eye, noticing the hopelessness and exhaustion. He left his knuckles resting against her face. "You must be tired of this place."

He could see he had surprised her, seen through her. Her wide-eyed expression urged him to continue.

"You've been here for too long. But I'll get you out of here. Go rest for now, so I won't worry. It'll be alright." His fingers brushed back so that he was cupping her cheek and after a moment she gave a nod.

"Alright, I'll do as you say…" she murmured. He pat her head gently, giving her a warm smile. "You'll be back soon?"

"I promise." He pulled her into his arms, giving her as much reassurance as he could, pleased when she leaned against him for support. After a moment she looked up at him.

"Then, I will wait for you here," she answered, a confidence in her voice that had been missing before.

He kissed her then, because she was so close, looking up at him with those wide eyes, and he could not resist. A moment after his lips touched hers he found himself thrown backwards, landing hard in the dirt with Kyoko still tucked in his arm. He did not have to look around to realize they were both outside. He could tell when Kyoko realized this because he felt her breathing quicken.

"What just-" She stopped, unable to form any more words.

Kuon laughed.

* * *

_And there it is, after a long, long wait. Hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks to Will for putting up with me still and being willing to beta for me. And a special thanks to all of the new readers that have found my stories over the past months while I was away. Your messages were inspiring and I am grateful for your support._


	15. Loves Me Knot

_Another chapter. Enjoy. As usual, I own nothing.  
_

* * *

**Vol 2 Back Cover**

~…~

"Hya!"

The shouting that came from the LoveMe room made Yashiro pause, but Ren did not, unfazed by the noise. He did make sure to open the door carefully though, checking to make sure no one was dancing around right behind it.

Kyoko could be unpredictable.

"Fight!" she chanted, facing away from the door, standing at the end of the work table, a few papers scattered in front of her. She wore a light pink dress, ruffled along the edges, very much in contrast with her behavior. If Ren thought it was odd, it did not show on his face. He watched her pump herself up for a few more moments before she turned around and jumped backwards, almost falling on the table.

"Ts-Tsuruga-san! I didn't see you." She fiddled with the pink ribbon tied around her neck, almost as if she was having trouble breathing.

"I suspect that was because you weren't looking," he answered calmly, smiling. "Are you almost ready?"

"I- I think so. At least, I hope so. I should be. Maybe." She twisted the toe of her shoe against the ground and interlocked her fingers a few times. "I've practiced a lot."

"Good. Then you should do fine. You have your character?" She nodded.

"Yes. I've thought through everything carefully."

"You look pretty," Yashiro commented, earning a doubtful look from Kyoko and a gentlemanly smile from Ren.

"Thank you, Yashiro-san. The dress is very pretty. Mok- Kotonami-san helped me pick it out."

"I wasn't just complimenting your dress," Yashiro felt the need to correct, but he was ignored as Ren spoke over him.

"You went shopping together?"

"Yes. She said it wouldn't hurt the competitive spirit. And then we went out for ice cream…"

Kyoko continued on with her story for several more minutes, her face glowing with the description of her day out with her best friend. Yashiro doubted that she noticed the look of gentle jealousy on Ren's face, and he stored that away to mock his charge later. It was always good fun to tease Ren about competing with a teenage girl.

"How soon until you leave?" Ren asked when Kyoko paused for breath. She cocked her head, considering.

"Not too long now. I need to finish packing my things and doing my hair, but then I should go. The audition isn't that far away and I was planning on walking."

"You should be careful," Yashiro warned her, a smile belying his serious tone. "You may get picked up by flirts on the way."

Kyoko blinked. "I-what?"

"Flirts," Yashiro repeated. "You should be careful, because you might get stopped on the way and be delayed."

"No one is going to stop me, Yashiro-san," Kyoko told him politely but firmly. Yashiro shook his head.

"You never know, Kyoko-chan. You can be very cute. There are all sorts of guys who might try flirting with you."

Kyoko gave him a somewhat suspicious look, forcing Ren to swallow a laugh. "I think you are mistaken, Yashiro-san," Kyoko told the manager.

"But it's true. Aren't I right, Ren?" Ren gave his manager a withering look before answering.

"You do have a tendency to underrate yourself, Mogami-san. And you do look very nice today."

"Really? I think you both are exaggerating."

"We are serious, Mogami-san. You attract more attention than you realize."

"Well, you both have known me for a long time, so maybe you've noticed a difference, but I think a complete stranger on the street would hardly pay attention to me. I don't look that interesting, and I'm not even finished getting ready yet. I still have to fix my hair."

"What are you doing with your hair?" Ren asked, changing the subject rather than arguing further and giving Yashiro more openings to tease him.

"Red ribbons," she showed him, grabbing them off the table where they had been hiding behind her. "I figured I would tie it back in two bunches."

She proceeded to do so then, asking Ren about his day and if he had eaten yet. He lied. She scolded, her fingers working furiously as they bickered about his eating habits.

"What were you doing when we came in?" Yashiro asked to bring the fight to a close. It was one of the few occasions where he did not foresee anyone winning if they continued. Kyoko flushed.

"Just… pumping myself up. Kotonami-san and I are auditioning against each other, after all. I have to be at my absolute best."

"Do you think it works?" Yashiro asked, amused. Kyoko smiled, punching forward with her left hand as she winked.

"Unbeatable charm!" she answered, realizing suddenly that the ribbons hand been wound around her fingers when she punched. She tried to get them untangled so that she could fix her mess and somehow only managed to make it worse.

"Here, let me help," Ren intervened, catching her hands and starting to tug at the ribbons. She sucked in a sharp breath when he accidentally pulled her hair, and he apologized softly as he kept working.

"Ren, maybe you should…" Yashiro started coaching from the background, giving his charge so many contradictory instructions that it was no surprise when Ren's hands became entangled as well.

"Wonderful," he sighed, sending a glare back at his manager. "Hold still for a moment longer, Mogami-san. I'll get us out of this mess."

Kyoko smiled and shook her head, tugging at the ribbons and forcing Ren to grab her to stop his fingers from being bent at odd angles.

"Mogami-san…"

"Sorry," she mumbled, bowing her head as he began to extract his right hand. When that was free, he began untangling his left hand, glad to notice that this also seemed to be freeing Kyoko's fingers. By the time all the worst of the knots were out, the remaining ribbon hung off both their left hands, looped casually around each of their pinkies. Yashiro noticed this and chuckled. Ren stopped his work.

"What?"

"Your hands," Yashiro pointed, and both actors looked. Kyoko realized what he was saying first and turned bright red, yanking her hand back. Ren, perceiving the significance, looked hurt for just a second before he removed the ribbon and held it out to Kyoko.

"Here, you need it for your audition, right?" She accepted it with trembling fingers. A few attempts to put it in her hair went rather awry. "Hold still," he told her, picking the other ribbon off the floor and tying it in a bow around one bunch of hair. She composed herself enough to finish the other while he was working.

"You're slow," she commented lightly, if a bit breathlessly. He smiled.

"I can't say I'm used to doing girl's hair."

"Maybe you should practice," Yashiro suggested. Ren shot him a glare.

"With whom?" he demanded with a touch of irritation.

"I have to go," Kyoko interrupted, shoving her things in her bag. "Don't forget to eat, Tsuruga-san."

"Just like a wife," Yashiro sighed. Ren resisted the urge to pummel his manager as Kyoko blanched.

"I-I have to go," she repeated, dashing out the door with no other farewell.

"Thanks," Ren told his manager in an extraordinarily dry tone. "You were so helpful."

"Just doing my job."

"You manage my career, not my life, Yashiro-san."

"Of course."

* * *

_I think this is one of the few short "short stories" that I have written for this challenge. And it is still over 1,000 words. I need to work on being more concise, I think. Thanks to Will for her help and support, even when she is crazy busy._


	16. Making Magic

**Vol 3 Cover, Act 17**

~…~

The evening was cool and damp, making Koenji Erika shiver as she scuttled down the street. Normally, she would have sent one of her servants out on this errand, but their research showed that these sorts of purchases would be best made by the user. And apparently no amount of love for her could cajole her loyal attendants to brave the dangers of "dark magic."

And perhaps, if she were behaving very oddly and being honest with herself, she would say that she was embarrassed to be resorting to a trick like this. Because it would mean that her other methods had failed. Or even worse, that she was not, shudder, good enough.

The buildings became more and more eerie as she continued down this particular road. It was not that anything about their shape or construction changed. Rather, a darkness seemed to ooze from the substance of the street, getting denser and denser the closer she got to her destination.

An old brick building in its own small lot with a flowing script carved over the door.

_Language of Angels_.

Such an innocent name for a shop, and such an inappropriate name for this one. Erika grimaced at the oldness of the building. She could not call it dilapidated or dirty, because it was neither of these things. But it felt archaic. Gothic. In the most unfashionable sense of the word.

"Look Nee-san, a customer."

If the building was gothic, these two girls were the epitome of the fashion, as far as Erika could tell.

"She looks a little lost," the older of the two noted, smiling in a knowing sort of way. Her blue-black dress with white underdress, heavy sapphire earrings, and chestnut blonde hair did not look a bit out of place on her person or in front of this building. She sat on a brick wall that extended from the shop, her gloved hands resting on the edge, her booted feet planted firmly apart on the ground, as if she were ready to jump up at a moments notice.

"See the paper in her hand," the little girl in red velvet and heavy lace indicated with a smile. She leaned in close to the older girl in a conspiratorial, affectionate manner. "I'll bet it has our address on it."

"H-how do you know that," Erika stammered, unable to call forth her usual confidence in this cold, shadowy place. The little girl shook her head of blonde curls, the two bunches almost getting tangled in the large clusters of roses that were pinned to the sides of her head.

"Well, all the neighbors… went away. So if you're coming this way, it has to be to see us."

"So what can we do for you?" the older girl asked, bracing her chin on her hands as she leaned forward in interest. "I assume you already know what our services are, if you are here."

Erika gulped. "There's someone I… want to destroy. With all of my power!"

Both girls looked skeptical.

"You don't have much power, do you," the older sighed, standing up and dusting her dress. "I bet you've never even had the courage to say, 'Thank you,' to someone with sincerity. Ah well, as long as you have money…"

"Here," Erika challenged, grabbing a fistful of bills from her pocket. "I have plenty of money."

"Then you can be a customer," the little girl said, jumping down from the wall and dashing into the shop ahead of the other two.

"Is there any particular reason you want to destroy this person?" the older girl asked as Erika followed her to the entrance.

"Too many to count," Erika declared with a grimace. She received a giggle in answer and glared, but the shop-keeper ignored it.

"Welcome, honored customer," she greeted as they stepped through the doors. Erika tried not to faint. Inside was just as dark and gloomy, if not more so, and there were signs everywhere of what evil business was at work. In spite of the darkness, Erika saw no cobwebs, but the multitude of skulls, creepy dolls, and what looked like jars of goo made her stomach turn. The smell was of heavy incense over rotten meat.

"We tried to make it smell less like the last people that used it," the little girl explained from her seat on one of the counters. "It wasn't very pleasant."

"It still isn't gone," the older one sighed, shaking her head. "Maria, we're airing it out again tomorrow, right?"

"Yes. Since we'll be closed."

"Looks like I came on the right day," Erika commented with a laugh that failed quite miserably to be either humorous or haughty.

"They always do," Maria answered casually, picking up one of the wax dolls on the counter and beginning to turn it over in her hands. "That's the sort of place that this is."

"A place to perfectly suit the needs of our valuable customers," shopkeeper-who-was-not-Maria added. "And you said that you needed to destroy someone, didn't you? Would that be a literal destruction, or were you thinking something more like their reputation?"

"Her…" Erika hesitated, not sure what to say. Not-Maria smiled.

"Her body, her heart, her mind, her fortune? Is there anything in particular you want to ruin? Because we can give you something with a general destructive power, but things go more quickly and successfully when you have a very clear idea of what you want to do to the other person. And the more specific, the better."

"I want her to never be famous. I want her… skill to always be lower than mine, like it should be." Her face screwed as Erika recalled the latest insult she had had to endure. "I want to prove that I can legitimately solve my problems with money!"

There was a snort from Maria, but when Erika whipped around to glare, the girl was innocently humming, playing still with the wax doll.

"Solving your problems with money," Not-Maria repeated slowly, her hands tracing random patterns on one of the display tables. "Well, money can absolutely solve problems. And it won't even cost you too much to pay for this spell."

"How much?" Erika asked, suddenly unsure of the large amount of cash in her pocket. She knew that she carried much more spare change than the average commoner, but she had the abrupt fear that this was more than she could afford.

Not-Maria named a sum. Erika's jaw dropped.

"Can you not pay?" Maria asked in a falsely cheerful tone. "I thought you had money."

"I do," Erika choked. "I have enough. But that's-"

"For a curse that is going to do specifically what you asked," Not-Maria interrupted, smiling. "We aren't selling you any of our generic products on display here. This is a commission. We have to charge extra for the special materials. Because you are a special customer."

Something in the way she said it eased Erika. Flattery, even sparse and tame flattery, was her weakness, and the fear she had been feeling began to fade. Perhaps it was Not-Maria's tone, or the particular look on her face, but she seemed to know just what to do to make Erika relax.

"Well… I guess that it's reasonable."

"Excellent. I'll go and prepare some things then, if you'll just wait here."

Erika was about to protest, but could think of nothing valuable to say. She glanced over at Maria, who was busy working what looked like a lock of hair into the back of the doll she had been holding.

"What's that?" Erika asked after a long silence, tired of nervously nibbling her nails.

"A new spell," Maria answered, smoothing the wax surface over the hairs. "The normal ones aren't working, so I'm trying an experiment. It was Kyoko-neesan's idea to try making my own spell. This time-" She broke off on a blissful sigh, giggled, blushed, and reached back to grab a vial from behind her.

"And what is that?" Erika asked again when she realized she was being ignored as Maria rubbed the contents of the vial all over the doll.

"A special oil. Hopefully, the lock of hair _and_ the name will work properly." She frowned in frustration.

"You can just try again, can't you?"

"It was hard to get the hair," Maria confessed, actually looking at her customer. "I don't think I can manage it again."

"What's so hard about getting a little bit of hair?"

"Well, first there's getting past security-"

When Kyoko abruptly returned to the room and cut Maria off, Erika let a small sigh escape. The little girl made Erika nervous.

"Here you are. I made sure to mix your particular wishes in, but understand that words only accomplish so much. The spell will do what it believes it is supposed to, so don't be surprised if things don't go exactly the way you plan. Made sure to add some of the essence of the person you are trying to curse within the next two days, or the spell will spoil. When you've added it, follow these instructions. They should be simple enough.

Erika glanced at the sheet of paper she was handed, grateful to see that there wasn't anything strange like naked dances in the moonlight as part of the spell. She handed over the required payment and turned to leave when she suddenly stopped.

"Is that real?" she asked, pointing at a small display in the corner advertising romance spells and charms.

"Oh yes. Enchantments, allurements, and even just simple charms for good luck with relationships," Kyoko answered promptly.

"So, you can make someone specific fall in love with you?"

"Well… yes. Magically."

"I want one of those spells."

"You'll have to ask Maria. She would be the expert."

"Really?"

"Oh yes," Maria chimed in, hopping off the counter. "Nee-san doesn't like dealing with love issues, but I've had to do lots of personal research. But it will be much more of a long-term contract. You'll need persistent spells, and since you've never done anything like this before, you'll need to be taught all along the way."

Erika managed a condescending look. "Well, as long as it works, I suppose I can let _you_ teach _me._ It couldn't hurt."

Maria glared, but her companion coughed before the little girl could say anything. The two shared a look which seemed to communicate an entire conversation and the younger one sighed.

"Good. Then we'll get started. The simplest spell to begin with will be a wax candle."

"Like yours?"

"Mostly. I'm trying to overcome some extra barriers, so I'm fiddling with the normal spell, but as long as it would be a normal relationship…"

"We're made for each other," Erika said dreamily, her face cradled in her hand as she sighed.

"Right. Well then, what's the name of the person you want to enchant?"

"Tsuruga Ren," Erika confessed with an upturned nose and a besotted glance. Kyoko took a sharp breath and Erika looked into a pair of suddenly worried gold eyes. "What?"

~…~

"You shouldn't have done that," Kyoko scolded calmly as she hefted a table and began to restack its contents. She pushed her hair out of her face as it danced in the breeze that came through the open door.

"I don't see the problem. She'd already paid. And no one," Maria answered in a tone that brooked no argument, "is allowed to have Ren-sama. He's _mine_."

"Yes, yes," was the disinterested answer. Maria sniffed.

"You don't have to fall in love. But I want Ren-sama. And I can get him too. Just wait. One of these spells is sure to work. It only needs to make him ignore some insignificant social inhibitions. You'll see."

"He still hasn't even come by the store."

"It doesn't matter. Some day he'll come. And he'll realize he's in love with me, and he'll promise to wait a few years until I'm old enough, and we'll get married and live happily ever after."

"And I get to play your jealous, wicked witch," came a teasing answer. Maria smiled.

"We'll see. It all depends on how Ren-sama thinks of you."

"Well, he isn't going to like me," came the derisive response. Maria shook her head firmly.

"Ren-sama is kind to everyone." Maria answered as she finished carving Ren's name into the back of the candle. "You'll see. I'm sure he'll like you."

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed. Thanks to those who have put up with my haphazard updating. I hope I can get better in the future once things settle down a bit more and Will and I have more time. Thanks to Will for edits._


	17. Blushing Pride

**Vol 3 Inside Cover**

~...~

The large room was mostly empty when Kyoko walked in, carrying a large vase of roses. She had been given a LoveMe assignment to deliver the flowers to a room Lory was having decorated for some sort of "I'm bored because there are no holidays" celebration.

"Nee-san!" came a cheerful greeting from the back of the room. Kyoko looked around the flowers in time to see a blur before Maria slammed into her, latching onto Kyoko's waist and nearly causing the older girl to lose her balance.

"Hello Maria," Kyoko greeted once she was steady again. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping," Maria answered, taking a skipping step back. "Grandfather said that you might be coming down, so I said I would start arranging the flowers."

"Oh." Kyoko wondered at this only for a moment before shaking her head. The president seemed to have a hard time refusing Maria. Giving her mundane tasks so that she could do what she wanted was very like him. "Then, am I supposed to leave these with you?"

"You can leave them on the table," Maria instructed with a graceful wave of her hand. Kyoko sighed in envy as the little girl spun around, her ruffled skirts swishing about her ankles. Maria was always dressed so cutely.

"Do you need any help?" Kyoko asked as she put the vase down, eyeing the large room skeptically.

"If you'd like to stay," was the inviting answer. Kyoko could not help but smile as she responded.

"Oh yes. I would love to."

"Then can you fetch the ribbon from over there?" Maria asked, pointing all the way across the room. "I'll need it when I separate the bunches."

Kyoko thought about telling Maria that she should not have grabbed the whole bouquet of roses from the vase, but shrugged. Maria had little method, but since if she messed up, Lory would just replace things, she held her peace. She had learned that arguing with Maria over some things was just silly.

"What color ribbon?" Kyoko asked in an almost shout as she looked into a box overflowing with dozens of colors of silk ribbon.

'White!" was the cheerful answer that was shouted back as Maria sat down, putting half of the flowers back as she was having a hard time holding them. The bunch in her hands was still a little large though.

Kyoko sorted through the colors, looking for a white that matched the particular shade of Maria's dress. After a bit of shuffling she managed to find it. She also pulled out two shades of red, one that matched the roses and one that matched the trim all over Maria's dress. Just in case. She sighed again longingly as she looked over at Maria's beautiful outfit. Kyoko was not too worldly, but she could appreciate the pleasure of living with a doting old man that had too much money and regularly indulged in expensive, elaborate clothing.

"I love your dress," Kyoko confessed as she came back over, placing the spools of ribbon down on the table.

"It's one of my favorites," Maria agreed, preening in her puffed sleeves and lacey headband. "The white ones are all special though."

"Really?" Kyoko asked, starting to measure out lengths of white ribbon since Maria's hands were still full. She reached across the table for a pair of scissors, watching Maria's face light up in delight.

"You see, I always wear a white one on lucky days. I check every day you know, using all sorts of methods. And on days with perfect luck, I wear white."

"Is it an especially lucky color?" Kyoko asked, not sure if she had ever heard such a thing.

"Well, of course," Maria said, smiling brightly. Then she blushed. "A bride has to wear white you know. And on a lucky day, I don't want to be caught unprepared. If everything were to be perfect and Ren-sama were to ask me…"

She trailed off in a blissful daydream, leaving Kyoko flabbergasted.

"And I think… most people would think it inappropriate behavior," she suggested quietly, the quick snips of ribbon hiding her desire to tremble in agitation. It was Maria's turn to sigh, which she then frowned over.

"I know. But I keep hoping that on a day with perfect luck, it would all be fine," she confessed with a note of sweet longing. "Then, Ren-sama and I could be together forever."

If Kyoko's breath caught in her throat, if she was picturing a very different young lady with Tsuruga Ren, forever, she did not betray it in any of her movements. She measured another length of ribbon, her actions clean and deliberate.

"I know people think I'm too young," Maria grumbled, waving the flowers up and down a bit. "But I really do love him. Someday, he's going to only be able to look at me. Maybe even today."

Kyoko asked for two of the roses, choosing not to answer this. Maria giggled and stated that the roses were making Kyoko's cheeks look pink.

* * *

_Short chapter, but I hope you liked it. Thanks to Will for edits._


	18. Odds Won Out

**Vol 3 Act 12**

~…~

"I don't see the point of this," Kanae growled as she pushed her hair back, crossing her legs as she collapsed into a chair next to her friend.

"You know how the president is," Kyoko shrugged, leaning forward to plant her elbows on the table, cradling her face in her hands. "He just wants people to be happy."

"How can you be so calm?" Kanae demanded with a snap. "You know how much you hate men."

"Since when has anyone ever been able to stop the president?" was the colorless response. Kanae caught a glimpse of tired exasperation in her friend's eyes and bit back a snappy retort. It could be hard sometimes to see what Kyoko was thinking. She could be surprisingly secretive, especially about anything that she felt was "professional." But Kanae had learned over the past few years to see those few hints when Kyoko was upset about her work.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I figured I'd use the board," Kyoko answered, waving vaguely at a dart board that was hung across the room. "Since he wants us to invite a client, it's the easiest way."

"Well, it is easy," Kanae agreed. "Unless you get Tsuruga."

Kyoko groaned.

"Come on. Even I don't have that much bad luck."

"I'm just saying, you hit him more than anyone else does. In spite of the fact that he's fired you, what, twelve times now."

"I'm just glad he always lets me back in," Kyoko confessed. "Something always comes up, and we don't want to lose him as a customer. And there's nothing wrong with my work!" she added defensively.

"No," Kanae agreed. "Not with your work."

She did not feel the need to add, "Just your attitude," in so many words. It was patent in her tone and expression. Kyoko sniffed.

"It's not my fault he has such perfect timing. I'm allowed to have whatever opinions I want of his morals and character. He's a virulent playboy, and he should be ashamed of how he treats women."

"I'm just surprised you're not more ashamed of how often he's caught you talking to yourself about him. He probably thinks you're obsessed."

"He does," Kyoko admitted guiltily, shifting slightly in her seat, then sitting up straight, trying to use her perfect posture to hide further discomfort.

"I'm also surprised he hasn't tried to seduce you, if he does think that," Kanae mused, missing the slight pink that came to Kyoko's cheeks. "I mean, that's why he got rid of his last few cleaning ladies, isn't it? Because they got so attached when he started-"

She cut short, noticing that Kyoko had turned bright red and was plucking at her striped shirt. Kyoko might be the kind of girl who could brazenly call a man a dangerous Casanova, but if you asked her to explain, in clear detail, what that meant, she suddenly lost all communicative capacities.

"I'm not his cleaning lady," Kyoko eventually muttered.

"I guess housekeeper is more appropriate," Kanae admitted. "It's got to be one of your most straightforward jobs to date. No crazy kids or bratty celebrities. Easiest Caretaker assignment yet."

"Ruriko was probably the hardest," Kyoko noted, shaking her head. "I can't believe that I got injured."

"Or that you had to be rescued by Tsuruga Ren on the way home?"

"It wasn't a rescue. And honestly, it only caused more problems because a friend of Ruriko's worked at the hospital he took me to, and she almost fired me the next day because for some reason she was jealous. Jealous! As if Tsuruga Ren actually cared what had happened to me. As if he wasn't just trying to put me in his debt and at his mercy."

Kyoko ruminated darkly on the memory.

"At least he didn't have anything to do with the Koenji case. I mean, it was hard, and I couldn't have done it without you. But it was just us," Kanae pointed out, hoping to distract her friend. It worked, maybe a little too well.

"Yes!" Kyoko answered with a brilliant smile. "And you said I was your partner, and your best friend! It was the bestest job ever!"

Kanae cringed at the exuberance.

"Well, aside from when you met the president's granddaughter. You liked that job, didn't you?"

"Yes, but that was for different reasons. Maria is a sweetheart, and she helps me find discount supplies for my dolls." Kanae shuddered.

"Just how many of those have you made by now?"

"Of Tsuruga Ren? A lot. I'm hoping if I can curse him into keeping his distance, I won't have to worry about him firing me again."

"How's it working?"

"Not well," Kyoko admitted sadly. "It's like by establishing any connection between us at all, I keep getting closer to him on accident. I think I'll need to stop."

"Probably," Kanae agreed more casually than she felt. She hoped Kyoko gave up the voodoo. The "magic" itself was not nearly as terrifying as Kyoko's lifelike miniatures of Tsuruga.

"Why do we do this?" Kyoko sighed suddenly, picking up a dart from a pile in the middle of the table and twirling it idly in her fingers.

"Because we were broke, useless, and failures," was the brutal reply. "I couldn't bury my family enough to be an actress and you got dumped by the biggest loser in this city, and then ran away from all your jobs before you had thought through anything. We both had enough housewife skills that when we saw that stupid ad for workers, we applied before we realized what we were getting into."

"Caretaking," Kyoko mumbled with a role of her eyes. "Odd jobs."

"Acting."

"Pandering."

"Making dreams come true," Kanae added with her most bitter tone yet. "Well, everyone's but ours."

"Do we have dreams anymore?" Kyoko asked dully, tapping the dart against the table.

"Getting a real job?" Kanae suggested. Kyoko chuckled.

"I guess."

"The president is just too weird," Kanae complained. "I don't see what the big deal is about this Christmas party. It's isn't even for his granddaughter's birthday, even though that's when he's hosting it. For a guy who's so concerned about love and happiness, you'd think he'd save a mandatory couples dance for two months and celebrate with that Maria kid now."

"She doesn't want a party," Kyoko reminded her friend. Kanae rolled her eyes.

"We need to be around normal people again."

"We work with normal people," Kyoko pointed out.

"Cleaning house for the sexiest, richest, youngest, profligate man in the city does not count as working with a 'normal' person," was the immediate retort.

"Alright, maybe not."

"How many of his girlfriends have you met by now, anyway? They can't be normal either." Kyoko looked away.

"None."

"Really? Me either. I thought that since you have the morning shift whenever you get him maybe you had met more of them."

"No."

"Weird. With all the rumors, you'd think it would be more obvious. Maybe he just doesn't invite them home."

"I thought you said he came back most nights at ten and was still there when you left?"

"Yeah. And he's up and working by the time you get there, isn't he? And you're there by about six thirty. Maybe he's one of those people that can live on no sleep."

Kyoko shifted again, still looking away. "He says he doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Doesn't surprise me," was Kanae's immediate response. "Guy's got major commitment issues."

"Well, technically, he says he hasn't had any relationships with women outside of work."

"Lies," Kanae said firmly.

"Since he moved here," Kyoko added contentiously, glancing back at her friend. Kanae blinked.

"That was five years ago."

"I think so."

"Lies." She paused, suddenly confused. "Wait, he told you all of that? How did that conversation happen?"

"I don't know," Kyoko answered slowly, as if she were confused as well. "I think it must have been one of the times he overheard me talking about him. He got angry and scolded me as he was getting ready to leave. Then, right before he left, he turned back around and told me that he didn't have a girlfriend."

"But why? I thought everyone knew about his excessive relationships."

"I'm not sure," Kyoko muttered. "He certainly has women around him whenever I see him in the city, but…" she hesitated.

"They weren't close?"

"I don't see how they could be," Kyoko harrumphed. "He always has that lying smile on, unless he's looking like he's ready to kill you."

"He has that kind of face?"

"All the time."

"What on earth have you been saying about him?" Kanae demanded, completely confused. "He has to be the most easygoing, or at least forgiving, man alive."

"I haven't said anything that bad. I swear!"

"Well, then he must really hate your guts. You'd better hope you don't end up having to ask him to the party."

"He'd probably already have plans," Kyoko pointed out as she shifted slightly to aim the dart at the board.

"Nope."

"How do you know?"

"I help work out his schedule, remember?"

"Then why are you asking me about his love life?"

"I figure not everything hits the planner."

"Probably not," Kyoko agreed, throwing the dart and blinking as she realized where it had landed. Kanae laughed.

"Best two out of three?"

Two minutes later, when Kyoko reached out and realized the pile of darts was depleted, she looked at Kanae in dismay. Kanae did her best to hide a smirk.

"You have some incredible luck. I think this was meant to be."

"Mokoooooo!" Kyoko wailed, flapping a hand at the dart board. "They all landed on Tsuruga Ren!"

"You'd better hope he doesn't have plans."

"Nooo! Save meeeeeeeee!"

* * *

_Hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks to Will for helping with edits. _


	19. Make Her Prey

**Vol 3 Act 13**

~…~

The line was too long. And by too long, Ruriko of course meant that there was even a single person in front of her. And in this case, there were three people. All of them girls. Which meant her usual methods of inching to the front of the line would be, sadly, in vain. Or at least, not worth the effort.

She should not have come here. She should not have had to come here. She should have been a famous musician by now, with people bringing fashionable clothes to her. If it had not been for that random, stupid, flashy, scavenger seducing her way into what should have been Ruriko's place…

There were some things Ruriko could not forgive. Underhanded thieves were at the top of the list.

The woman two places ahead of her was having a conversation on her cell phone. It was driving Ruriko crazy.

"I don't care how much you have to pay them. Do it." A brief pause. "Then I'll ask my father for more money. You know he'll give it to me." Another pause and the girl gave a nasally laugh. "You know how I can make him do what I want."

Ruriko gritted her teeth. The blonde girl appeared to have nothing in her arms to purchase, which confused Ruriko. Why come to a clothing store, and _stand in the line_, if you weren't going to buy anything?

A constant scribbling was sounding from the girl directly in front of Ruriko made her agitated enough to start playing with the beaded necklaces she was wearing. She flexed onto her tiptoes to try and catch a peek over the girl's shoulder. Ruriko caught sight of a notebook, filled with hasty, violent scribbles that made her shudder. She could not make out any specific words, but she could feel an aura of violence from the female in front of her.

"Next customer," came a voice from behind the desk in front of the line. Ruriko shifted the shirts she was holding and rolled her eyes as the first girl in line stepped forward. This one was cheerful, if a bit ditsy. She kept tucking her short hair behind her ear, chattering at the clerk. It reminded Ruriko of a hamster.

"I know, I know," came an irritated voice from behind Ruriko. "But I'm not charging it to your card. I don't even carry that thing."

Ruriko looked back to see a young woman entering the store, standing by the open door as she finished her phone call. The new girl sighed as she hung up the phone, cutting off a voice that seemed to be lecturing her. Ruriko could not quite tell, but the voice she could barely make out seemed masculine. A boyfriend. Ruriko sniffed. There was something wrong with the world when just any old girl could have a boyfriend and Ruriko did not. This one barely stood out at all.

The new girl looked up suddenly and met Ruriko's gaze. Her look was almost inquisitive, her gold eyes more vibrant than Ruriko expected. Ruriko's own expression narrowed as she tried to appear disinterested and disdainful at the same time. This new girl was a waste.

"Kyoko-san?" came the questioning voice of the girl just ahead of Ruriko. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, Amamiya-san. It's good to see you. I'm here to pick up a dress. Mok- Kotonami-san recommended this place."

"Wah! What are you doing here?" came a shout from the girl in front of this Amamiya-san. "And what did that beggar think, recommending you to a place like this?"

Amamiya and Kyoko shared a look before Kyoko smiled in a way that made Ruriko's flesh crawl.

"Koenji-san, you're here too," Kyoko greeted with a cold cheerfulness. "It's so nice to see you. Again."

The Koenji girl swallowed, then beckoned a man that was standing by the wall. He bowed deeply when he approached, a sapphire earring glinting and catching Ruriko's attention. Really, what kind of rich young princess was this?

"If you're here to buy a dress," Koenji said with a tight voice, "I would recommend this one." She pulled an article from the pile in the man's arms. Ruriko had expected it to be a joke suggestion, but from the look on the Kyoko girl's face, she was seriously considering it.

"Didn't you want to buy this dress, Koenji-san? I can find my own."

"Take it!" Koenji insisted suddenly. "Consider it repayment for... for our disagreement."

Kyoko's smile turned bright. "Well, if you insist. It is a nice dress after all. I'm sure Ren will like it."

Koenji's expression went from nervous to sour faster than Ruriko could blink, but the rich young lady did not make any additional comments as Kyoko came forward and took the dress. To further Ruriko's surprise, Koenji then volunteered her place in line to this Kyoko girl.

"Go ahead," Koenji insisted, leaning away as she gestured with her arm.

"But the others in line might object," Kyoko hesitated, looking back at Amamiya and Ruriko. Ruriko pulled another disdainful look, glad that this girl had some idea of her place, but was shocked when Amamiya agreed.

"It's fine, Kyoko-san. I don't mind. I'm not in a hurry. And I'm sure this girl doesn't care," Amamiya stated, waving her hand in Ruriko's direction. Ruriko, about to furiously protest, froze as the girl in front of her turned around. "Right?"

"O-of course not," Ruriko gulped, trying to figure what it was exactly in those eyes that made her tremble. Why had she come to this store today?

"If you're sure," Kyoko hesitated, eyeing Ruriko skeptically.

"Absolutely," Ruriko insisted with a shake of her head. "Go ahead. The last girl is finished."

The Kyoko girl bowed a quick thanks, strode to the front desk and quickly finished her purchase. It appeared to Ruriko that she winced at the total that was rung up, but she handed over payment with a smile and exited the store quickly. Ruriko shuddered and turned her attention back to the line where the Koenji princess was having her servant place her items on the counter. Ruriko contemplated making a sarcastic comment to the remaining line, but reconsidered quickly. She waited in line silently, making her way out of the store as quickly as she could when she was finished.

She exited just in time to see that Kyoko female being handed into a car by the most attractive man that Ruriko had ever seen. She swallowed convulsively, cursing all carnivorous females that walked around in such deceptive innocence, stealing things like a ravenous hyena.

* * *

_Because, of course, the moment November starts and I'm supposed to be focusing on NaNoWriMo, I can't help but write more fanfiction. Hope you enjoyed. Thanks again to Will who helped me figure out what was so wrong with this chapter._


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